A Few Hours
by Yatzstar
Summary: One day, the Doctor shows up at Clara's house with an unconscious Master, leaving him at her house for a few hours. I'm not sure where exactly I'm going with this, so I'm going to leave the description at that for now. [Master/Clara]
1. Chapter 1

Clara Oswald was having a perfectly normal day so far. She had gotten up, had breakfast, and was now preparing to leave for the store.

Just as she was about to step out the door of her flat, she heard an all too familiar mechanical grinding noise. "Oh boy." She mumbled, turning around.

She watched as a blue police box, or the TARDIS, materialized in the middle of her living room, throwing papers about with the wind it created. The door opened, and steam billowed out. The Doctor stumbled out with it, coughing, his hair askew, his face and clothes smeared with ash.

Clara started forward. "Doctor, what happened?"

"Oh, nothing for you to worry about." He said, smiling.

"It looks like something."

He ran his hands through his hair, making it stick up even more. "Well… I may have gotten into a little bit of trouble."

Clara smirked. "What kind of trouble?"

"I can't explain right now, okay? I need to ask you for a favor."

"Okay. What can I do?"

The Doctor vanished back into the TARDIS, returning a few minutes later, dragging an unconscious man behind him.

Clara backed up slightly. "What did you do to him?"

The Doctor looked down at the man. "Uh… I sort of had to knock him out. Can I leave him here for a few hours while I go see to some… unfinished business?"

"Let me get this straight. You want to leave an unconscious man alone, with me, at my house, while you go off to who knows where?"

"He's not a man! He's a Time Lord!"

Clara looked down at the apparent Time Lord. His hair was blonde, almost white, and his face had a bit of stubble on it. He was dressed in a black hoodie and ragged jeans. He had dark rings under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept in weeks, but he was undeniably handsome.

He didn't look like a Time Lord.

"I thought you were the last one!"

"I lied. His name and the Master and he was a childhood friend of mine."

Clara shrugged. "I suppose I could take care of him."

The Doctor smiled. "Thank you. Also, I'll need to tie him up."

"What? Why?"

"He's a criminal."

"Doctor!" Clara shouted. "You could have told me that before I agreed to let him stay _at my house!_"

"Of course I didn't tell you that!" He laid the Master on the floor and walked back inside the TARDIS, his voice echoing from the inside. "You never would have agreed otherwise!"

Clara sighed in frustration. "Fine…"

The Doctor came back out, holding a messy array of chains and rope. "Now, let's tie him up."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the Doctor stood back, admiring his handiwork. He had tied the Master to a support pillar that was in Clara's living room, using various chains and ropes bound about his middle and arms around the pillar.

"Are you sure that's going to hold him?" Clara asked, looking down at the unconscious Time Lord nervously.

The Doctor puffed out his chest proudly. "I'm absolutely positive!"

"Doctor, is he dangerous?"

His smile faded. "He is sometimes. Not all the time, though he is a madman." He took her by her shoulders. "I promise, as long as you don't talk to him and stay away, you'll be absolutely fine. Got it?"

She nodded. "Got it, but just one more thing. You said he was your friend, so why are you did you knock him out and tie him up?"

The Doctor looked down at him. "He was my friend. He's stone cold brilliant, trust me, but we've gone separate ways." He headed back to the TARDIS and opened the door, turning back to face Clara. "I'll be back soon."

She smiled. "Bye."

He waved and stepped into the TARDIS, shutting the door. The mechanical sound started up, and the blue police box vanished from view, and the noise left with it.

Clara sighed, staring down at the Master. Some day this had turned out to be. She was harboring an insane, dangerous alien criminal in her house. What next?

She looked closer at the Master's face. Upon closer inspection, she saw it was absolutely filthy with ash and bruised, just as the Doctor's had been. Always one for cleanliness, she decided to go against the Doctor's orders and clean him up a little.

Preparing a wet cloth, she started cleaning his face gently, hoping that he didn't wake up during the process. While she cleaned, she couldn't help but admire his features. He was rather handsome, she would admit, but she had to remember that he was some sort of criminal, and he was dangerous. His chest rose and fell softly, exhaling through his mouth with every breath.

Curious, Clara paused in her administrations and laid her ear to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. There it was.

_Thump, thump, thump, thump._

_Thump, thump, thump, thump._

It was the all too familiar four beat cadence of a Time Lord's heartbeat. He was a Time Lord for sure. She resumed her work, her mind wandering to other thoughts. She wondered what could've beat the Master and the Doctor so much. She had a feeling she didn't want to know. Who knows what it could have been; she had seen her fair share of scary things.

She finished her work, looking down at the Master, whose face was now much cleaner than it had been. Surprisingly, he had not awoken during her work, which was good for her.

As a pastime, she decided to attempt to make a perfect soufflé.

* * *

After quite a few failed attempts, she gave up. She looked back at the Master, who was still unconscious, and then back at the clock. She had started around nine AM, and it was now close to eleven. Honestly, how long could a boy sleep?

She debated on whether or not she should take a nap. It might not be a good idea with a renegade Time Lord tied up in her house, but then again, he wasn't escaping from that mess of chains and rope, was he?

Finally, she decided it would be a good idea. After all, she had gotten up quite early. She laid down on the couch and curled up with a sigh.

After a while, when her breathing slowed, the Master inched open one eye. Seeing that she was asleep, he smiled and sat up as best he could. The foolish girl thought he was still unconscious, when in reality, he had woken up ages ago when she was washing his face. It had been hard to stay still for that long, but it had been interesting to watch her at least.

He had actually found it quite soothing to feel her gentle touch on his face. She had laid an ear on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, but wasn't confused about it. She must've been a friend of the Doctor's and had some sort of knowledge on Time Lords.

He looked over her. She was curled up tightly in a ball on her couch, breathing softly. Her brown hair was splayed out over her face, vibrating with every breath she took. She actually looked quite…

No.

No. He was the Master. He did not have emotions. He shook his head, attempting to clear it of the never ending drums. But, of course, it didn't work.

Now, he needed to figure a way out of the bonds that held him.

* * *

Clara was sleeping. Throughout her sleep, she heard a constant drumbeat. One, two, three, four. Over and over again it came, seemingly inside her head. She rolled over and groaned, attempting to rid herself of the maddening never-ending sound.

She slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a finger, attached to a hand, drumming out the beat of four on a chair arm. Then, further up, she saw a cheeky smirk and brown eyes glittering at her.

The Master smiled wider. "Hello."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I meant to post this in the last chapter, but it didn't update like I wanted it to. -_- Anyway, this story was inspired by Lunatic, The Impossible Drums, and Playing with Fire! They're the stories that got me into this ship. :3 Btw, see if you can catch the episode reference in this chapter.**

* * *

Clara screamed and jumped up off the couch, backing away from the Master.

The renegade Time Lord rose from the chair he was sitting in, still smiling. "That's quite a way to greet your lord and Master."

Clara grappled for a small kitchen knife on her counter, pointing it at the Master. "How did you escape?"

"The Doctor ties knots like he does bowties… badly."

"Doctor…" Clara growled.

"And I am to assume you're one of the Doctor's assistants?" The Master looked her up and down.

"I'm his _friend_." Clara gritted. "All I need to do is wait here till the Doctor gets back."

"Well, I'm not waiting." The Master pulled a key out of his pocket, and it glowed yellow. Clara dropped her knife as their surroundings suddenly changed, and they were standing in a room that resembled the TARDIS, except darker.

Clara spun in a full circle. "We're… in the TARDIS."

"My TARDIS!" The Master corrected, throwing his arms out to emphasize his point.

Clara glared at him. "Take me back."

"I'm afraid that's out of the— Ow!"

The Master stared down at the human girl who had just slapped him, rubbing his stinging cheek. "Why does the Doctor always choose the feisty ones?"

"_Take me back._" Clara's brown eyes blazed with fury. She raised her hand to deliver another slap, but the Master caught her wrist.

"Ah, ah, ah." He scolded. "You don't want to ruin this face, now, do you?"

Clara did not respond, but pulled her wrist out of his grip with a huff of indignation.

"Besides, it's not like I'm going to hurt you… yet."

"What do you want with me then?"

"To get at the Doctor." The Master said, his gaze darkening. "He's been my enemy for so long, and he doesn't understand the drums, the never ending _drums!_" He rapped out the beat of four on the TARDIS console.

"What drums?" Clara backed away slightly, starting to think that he really was totally crazy.

"Listen." He took her face in his hands, pressing her forehead to hers. Clara heard the pounding one, two, three, four, echoing through her head.

She broke away quickly. "That's in your head?"

"Every day, every moment, all the time. Each day it gets worse. And the Doctor just doesn't understand what it's like."

"I wish I could stop it." Clara almost whispered. She felt sorry for the Time Lord. If she had that sound in her head all the time, she would've gone mad too. She realized that maybe the Master's actions weren't entirely his fault.

"Well run along." The Master waved a hand dismissively.

"Where?"

"I don't know. Go to the library or something."

Clara's eyes lit up. "A library!" She turned to go, but the Master stopped her.

"What's your name?"

"Clara. Clara Oswald."

"Clara…" He whispered softly as he watched her go. Then he turned back to the console and started pulling levers and pushing buttons, setting course for their next destination.

* * *

Clara wandered the hallways of the TARDIS, looking for the library, lost in thought all the while. So, she was kidnapped by an insane criminal alien, and was now trapped on a time-space ship. She hoped the Doctor would realize she was missing and come looking for her soon. She didn't know what the Master had in store for her, but she bet it wasn't good. She tried her best not to feel scared; the Master had said he wouldn't hurt her. Besides, she knew the Doctor would come for her.

She then remembered that she never knew what had happened with the Doctor and the Master in the first place. All she knew is that the Doctor had somehow found the Master, knocked him unconscious, and dropped him off at her house.

Opening a door, she found herself in a giant room with rows upon rows of books. She smiled and walked inside, jumping slightly as the door shut behind her, causing the sound to echo throughout the halls. There was absolute silence in the library.

She walked through the many shelves, looking for something interesting to read. At last, she came upon a classic: _Pride and Prejudice._

She pulled the book from the shelf, sending a cloud of dust up as she did so. Coughing, she made her way over to a couch in the middle of the room and laid down on it, opening the book. She read for hours on end, until her eyelids started to droop, and she fell asleep.

* * *

Back at Clara's flat, the Doctor stuck his head out of his TARDIS. "Clara?" He walked out, holding a Dalek eyestalk. "Clara, I need your help!"

He ran to the place where the Master had been tied up. "Oh no." The bonds had been loosened. He looked over, and saw a knife lying on the floor. He bent down, picking it up slowly "What have I done…"

He ran back to his TARDIS, anxious to find Clara before something happened to her.


	3. Chapter 3

"Clara? Clara!" The Master walked into the library, his voice echoing throughout. "Hello?" Rounding a corner, he saw the girl, laid out on the couch fast asleep, a book open on her stomach.

The Master tilted his head. It took him a moment to remember that humans slept far more than Time Lords did. He enjoyed watching her sleep. She looked so very peaceful, and there was a small smile on her face, as if she was having a pleasant dream.

He figured he had better move her to a bed, so she would be more comfortable.

* * *

Clara came awake slowly. At first, she didn't remember what had happened, but then it hit her: She was on a TARDIS with a crazy Time Lord.

She felt soft sheets under her hands, and a fluffy pillow under her head. She sat up. How had she gotten here?

She was sitting in a bed in a richly furnished room. The carpet was a deep velvet blue, and the walls were a lighter shade of the same color. There was a couch on the other side of the room, as well as a bookshelf and a door that probably led to a bathroom.

She looked down and saw beautifully embroidered quilt placed over her. The Master must have carried her here. The thought made her heart flutter a little.

_Stop._ She thought to herself. _Quit doing that._

On her bedside was a lamp, a clock, and her book, _Pride and Prejudice_. A small piece of paper with _bookmark_ scrawled on it was stuck between the pages, marking the spot she was on before she fell asleep. Taped to the lampshade was another piece of paper that said: _The kitchen is down the hall to the right._

She jumped up, seeing that the clock read 8 AM. How long had she slept? She grabbed her book and walked out of the room. It looked like a typical TARDIS corridor. Walking down the hallway, she stopped at a doorway that she supposed looked like the kitchen. Opening the door, she found she had supposed correctly.

On the counter in the middle of the room, a loaf of freshly baked bread lay on a cutting board. At that point she remembered that at least the Doctor's TARDIS made bread every morning, and apparently this applied to other TARDISes as well. Opening the fridge, she also found a quart of fresh milk.

She poured herself a cup of milk and cut a thick slice of bread and settled on a barstool against the counter, reading while she ate. She sat there for a long while until a voice interrupted her.

"Good morning."

She jerked her head up. The Master leaned in the doorway, smiling at her. "You humans sleep for the longest of times."

He had cleaned up considerably since yesterday. He was now dressed in a dress shirt and gray vest, with black slacks to match. He had actually combed his hair back, though the slight stubble remained.

Clara didn't realize she was staring until she heard the Master say: "Like what you see?"

She quickly took her eyes off him, trying not to blush. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"It goes with the times. We are going to land in twentieth century Manhattan."

Clara gasped. "I gotta get dressed then!" She brushed past him and ran down the hall back toward her room. "Be back in a moment!"

* * *

A few minutes later, Clara joined the Master in the control room. She had changed into a plain red dress, and had done her hair up in a bun. She wasn't exactly sure what she was doing, about to step into Manhattan with a madman, but he seemed fine enough, for now.

The Master stretched forth a hand to her. "Shall we go?"

Clara took his hand. "We shall."

As they were walking towards the doors, the Master realized for the first time how short she was compared to him. He was at least half a foot taller than her. She was mini sized.

As they stepped outside, they found themselves in a small alleyway. The Master turned to face the TARDIS, yelling: "Come on! Not another busted chameleon circuit!"

This TARDIS had changed itself into a police box, much like the Doctor's TARDIS, except this one was a darker shade of blue.

Clara watched the Master bang on the side a few times. "It's another snogbox." She said quietly, hoping the Master didn't hear as she began to walk away.

The Master locked the TARDIS and caught up to Clara, grabbing her hand in his. "Let's hope it lives up to its name."

It took a moment for it settle upon Clara, and when she realized it, her face undoubtedly turned as red as it possibly could be, and the Master's hand in hers sure didn't help her in the situation.

As they began walking down the busy sidewalk of the city, Clara asked: "So, what are we doing in Manhattan?"

"This is one of the last places the Doctor would ever come."

_Oh great._ "What would keep him away from such a place as this?"

"All I know is that the Doctor lost some very dear friends here. I'm not sure why though. I'm here to stay away from the Doctor, but I'm also quite interested in finding out what killed his friends."

"Well, if you're so bent on staying away from the Doctor, and apparently keeping me away from him too, then what do we do in the meantime?"

"How about visit the Statue of Liberty?"

"Sounds like a great idea."

* * *

The Doctor was on the run too. An earthshattering explosion rattled the ground around him, throwing him and the Dalek eyestalk he had gotten to the dirt.

"EX-TER-MI-NATE THE DOC-TOR!" The harsh screech rang out.

"Not today, boys!" His TARDIS was in sight. It had brought him to Skaro for no good reason, maybe as an escape from the Time Lords chasing him, and had locked him out, leaving him to wander the Dalek ridden lands.

Now he was running back, hoping and praying that his ship would let him in. As he reached the door, he fumbled with the key, shoving it in the slot.

"EX-TER-MI-NATE!"

The door opened, thankfully.

"Bye!" He slammed the door in the Daleks face.

He really needed Clara's help. First he was being chased by Time Lords, and now Daleks.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'll be gone for a couple of days, so no new chapters for a bit. Sorry! :(**

* * *

"There are so many statues!" Clara gasped, looking around in awe at the city.

"So maybe that's it." The Master murmured under his breath.

"What was that?"

The Master smiled down at her. "Nothing."

Suddenly Clara gasped. "There's Central Park!" She tugged on his hand. "Can we please go there instead?"

"Well…"

"Please?" She gave him her best puppy dog eyes.

The Master gave in. "… I suppose."

"Thank you!" She smiled widely, grabbing his hand and pulling him off toward the park. "I've always wanted to see the Bethesda Terrace and the lovely walkways…"

The Master smiled as he watched her get excited. As much as he hated to admit it, the Doctor did have an interesting choice in companions.

"So what's in the Bethesda Terrace?"

"Oh, I've heard about this beautiful angel statue on a fountain!"

"An angel statue, huh?"

"Oh yeah! Some people claim they've seen it move, though I think it's nonsense."

"Well let's go and see this statue for ourselves."

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time they reached the Terrace, though it was still quite busy.

"Oh, wow." Clara stepped forward, gazing at the angel.

The statue was made of bronze, and depicted an angel standing on a pedestal, with four little angels under it. Water poured from where the angel's feet touched the pedestal, spilling into the pool around the structure.

"_The Angel of the Waters_." Clara breathed. "I wish I had brought a camera!"

_No you don't_. The Master thought to himself. He didn't like what he saw. It could be just a statue, but he knew better than to assume that. At least it had virtually no chance of moving with all these people around.

"…Let's go and see the water!" Clara was saying.

The Master was jerked from his thought. "Certainly."

They walked to a bridge that was overlooking the water. The Master had to admit this was quite I nice place. It would be perfect, if it weren't for the underlying danger. Children ran and played in this grass, and many sat on blankets in grass fields. The drumming wasn't as loud here.

They stopped on the bridge, leaning on the rails, looking out over the water. The early evening sunlight had caught the water just right, making it look like liquid gold.

"So, when did you meet the Doctor?" The Master asked.

"Oh, quite a few months ago now." Clara said, staring wistfully at the scenery before them. "He just dropped out of the sky and tore down my world." She went silent for a moment. "It's hard to have a normal life when you have an alien taking you out on wild adventures."

"Where did you work?"

"I was a teacher, and I also looked after a friend's kids for quite a while." She turned to face him. "The Doctor never told me there were more Time Lords alive. How are you here?"

"I was dead. Twice. Both times I was resurrected. The first time was during the Time War, but I ran away, disguising myself as a human. The second time was more recent, but I was pulled back into the Time War. The Doctor found me there, and that's how I ended up here."

"Why do you not like the Doctor?"

The Master was silent for a moment, rapping out the drumbeats on the railing. Then he said: "He used to be my best friend, but we drifted separate ways. He ran away in a blue box, as did I. I chased him for a while, but that didn't last long. He just doesn't understand the drumming in my head. He doesn't know what it's like to be plagued every day of your life with the same thing over and over again."

Clara cocked her head. "What's that about anyway?"

"The Time Lords retroactively implanted in my head when I was eight, using it was a signal to bring back Gallifrey one day. Their plan failed, but noise still hasn't left me."

Clara wanted to hug him. All of a sudden he looked like a sad little boy who needed to be loved. She was jerked from her thoughts when a drop of wet hit her nose. She looked up, and saw that the sky had clouded over and was now an ominous dark shade of gray.

"Oh no, it's starting to rain!" She cried as the droplets started to come down harder.

"Come on, let's find some shelter." The Master grabbed her hand and pulled her along down the path.

They ran through the park as it began to pour. The wind howled through the trees, snapping off limbs even. Apparently they had been so deep in conversation that most everyone else had cleared out without them noticing.

At some point, Clara got separated from the Master. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled from above as she ran to the nearest alleyway she could find, desperate to get out of the rain.

She ducked into the narrow street, the awning above providing a little relief from the rain. She leaned against the wall, waiting for the downpour to stop.

"Please be careful."

Clara nearly jumped out of her skin as a small voice spoke next to her. She looked down and saw a little girl, looking no older than six standing next to her. She was dressed in what looked like a white nightgown and her hair was done in little braids.

Clara knelt down to her level. "Whatever do you mean?"

The girl coughed harshly before responding. "Please be careful."

"Be careful of what?" Clara said, confused as to what a small child in a nightdress was doing out in the rain, with no parents around whatsoever.

"The angels are coming for you."

"What angels?"

"The angels that want to rule all of time and space."

"What's your name?" Clara asked.

"Melody."

"Clara? Claraaaa!"

Clara turned, hearing the Master's voice calling her. "I'll be there in a second!" She turned back to face the little girl, but she was gone. She looked all around the alleyway, but there was no sign of her anywhere.

"There you are!" The Master slipped into the alley. He was soaking wet, and his hair was plastered to his forehead "I found and old building we could use as refuge until the storm clears up."

"There was a little girl." Clara murmured.

"What?"

"There was a little girl here, talking to me!" Clara pointed to the spot where the child had been. "But she just disappeared."

"What did she say?"

"Nothing that made sense. I think she was sick."

The Master shrugged. "Well she's gone now. Come on, let's get to the building."

They ran through the oncoming rain towards a building with angel statues outside. They ran up the stairs, hoping for refuge. Out of the corner of her eye, Clara saw the little girl, up in a window of a nearby building, making a peekaboo gesture. Thinking nothing of it, she ran inside.

Little did they know that the angels had moved.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I am back now, with a longer chapter than usual!**

* * *

"Oh, look at my dress!" Clara cried in distress, looking down at her garment which was now thoroughly soaked.

"Hey, you're not the only one who got wet." The Master grumbled as he started to remove his vest.

Clara looked around the building they were in. It resembled an old hotel, and they appeared to be standing in the lobby. There was a desk in front of them with chairs all around, and everything was covered in a fine layer of dust and cobwebs. Behind the desk was an old brown picture of the Statue of Liberty. In the far corner of the room was a staircase presumably leading to more floors. The place was only lit by the street lights outside.

"At least it's dry, except it's a bit old." Clara finished her sentence as she took a step forward, and the floorboards creaked ominously. She walked carefully over to a chair and dusted it off, sitting down as she began wringing out her hair.

"Seems safe enough." The Master slung his vest over the counter and pulled a small flashlight out of his pocket, shining it around the room.

"Well what do we do to pass the time?" Clara sat back in her chair after giving up on drying her hair.

The Master held the light up under his face in the typical creepy fashion, grinning wildly. "We could tell ghost stories."

Clara rolled her eyes. "Please. I'm not scared of much." Her words were quickly contradicted as a crack of thunder rolled overhead, causing her to jump.

"Not scared of much?" The Master sat down next to her, smiling.

"Shut up." Clara mumbled, trying not to show her embarrassment. "So, what's the scariest monster you have ever seen?"

"There are many creatures in the universe that are scary." The Master murmured, staring at the wall opposite them, drumming on the back of her chair. "The Daleks, the Silents, the Smilers and Winders, Toclofane, the Vashta Narada, the Cybermen, the Slitheen, the Autons, the W—" He stopped himself mid-sentence.

"The what?" Clara sat forward.

"No, it's nothing." The Master shook his head.

"Come on." Clara smacked him playfully. "Is there a monster that even the great and powerful Master is afraid of?"

The Master smiled cheekily at her. "Finally you admit the truth."

"Yeah, and you can't even stay out of a rain storm properly." She looked at his head. "You're hair looks dreadful."

He ran his fingers through his hair, making it stick up even more. Clara burst into a fit of giggles at the crazy grin on his face. "You look ridiculous!"

"Well so do you."

"You obviously don't spend a whole lot of time around girls." Clara snorted.

"It's not every day that I use my evil genius to capture somebody."

"What evil genius are you referring to?"

"Very funny."

Clara yawned, stretching out in her chair. "I think I'm going to go find someplace nice to sleep."

The Master sat back. "Well you go on. I'll stay up."

Clara looked at him. "Do you ever sleep?"

"Time Lords don't sleep as much as humans. Besides, it's near impossible with the drumming in my head." He paused. "But if you're going upstairs, take these." He pulled two objects out of his pocket and handed them to her. One was another small flashlight, and the other was a strange contraption that resembled a watch.

"What's this?" Clara eyed the watch thing.

"It's a communicator." The Master said. "It's just in case something happens." He held up one of his own.

"Just in case of what?"

"Nothing."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

Clara eyed him but decided to let the matter drop. She had a feeling that he was hiding something, but the look in his eyes told her not to question further.

"Well, good night." She turned on the flashlight and started up the creaky stairs. At the top was a door marked "2", and more flights continued on up. Deciding that the second floor was good enough, she stepped through the door.

She was faced with a long narrow corridor lit with old lamps. Doors lined the hallways, and at the end was a statue of an angel. Clara walked to the first door and opened it. Inside was an almost empty room, only furnished with a light fixture and an old bed frame with a mattress. The walls were dingy with water stains, and the floor looked quite filthy. One window on the far side let in a dim light, accompanied with the patter of the rain.

"Good enough." She murmured. Before going inside, she took one last look at the angel statue outside. Its hands were folded in front of it, and it had a peaceful smile carved on its face. "Whoever built this place sure has a thing for angels."

* * *

The Master sat in the same place he had been when Clara left, watching the rain hit the dingy windows of the building. He wasn't sure what it was about this human girl that made him feel different, but it certainly was something. She made the drums lessen whenever she was around. He shook his head. He was just being weak. For all he knew, they could've just walked into a trap, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

The Weeping Angels were most certainly one of the most terrifying creatures he had ever encountered, but he didn't want to scare her. He leaned his head back in his chair, closing his eyes. He had heard no other sound besides Clara walking upstairs, so there must've been no present danger. He could at least try to get a few minutes of sleep.

* * *

Clara slept fitfully. The damp dress was quite uncomfortable for sleeping, but it was all she had. On the floor in the room she had found an old ragged blanket, and she had used it as a cover.

Suddenly, she sat up. What had awakened her? She looked around the room. Everything was just as she left it. The communicator and the flashlight lay on the floor next to the bed she was in. Nothing was different, except for that fact that the rain had lessened considerably from when she had gone to sleep.

Then, the sound came.

Footsteps.

There were footsteps coming from outside her door.

Clara rose from her bed slowly, staring at the door. "Master, is that you?"

No answer, but the footsteps continued.

"Master?" Clara raised her voice. "You better just be messing with me!" She reached for the doorknob, her heart racing at millions of miles a minute. Not hesitating, she wrenched the door open, and found herself face to face with an angel statue, which had its mouth open and its fangs bared in a ferocious growl.

Without even screaming, she slammed the door and locked it, diving for the communicator.

"Master?" She called desperately.

On his end, the Master sat up straight. "What is it?"

"There's a statue, right outside my door, and it has this look on its face, and it wasn't there before!" She screamed as she heard her doorknob rattling. "And there were footsteps outside, and now somebody's trying to get into my room, but nobody's there!"

The Master stood up. "Clara, it's the statues that are trying to get into your room!"

"But they're statues!"

"They're statues when you see them."

"Huh?"

"They're called the Weeping Angels. They're a species of alien that literally turn to stone when you look at them, but when you look away, they move, and they come for you. If they touch you, they will send you back in time and feed off the energy of the life you would have lived."

"Wait." Clara muttered. "The girl that I spoke to in the alley earlier said something about how the angels are coming for us and that they want to rule all of time and space."

"Clara!" The Master shouted. "Why didn't you tell me that earlier? I would have never brought you here if I had known that!"

"I didn't think that was important!" Clara yelled back. "I thought she was sick!"

The Master took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. "Okay, what you're going to have to do is walk out the door, but with your eyes closed. If you look into the eyes of angel, you will become an angel, eventually. I can't risk letting that happen."

"But I thought you said they move when you can't see them!"

"That's when they know you can't see them. But, if you walk like you can see, then they will stay stone. While you do that, I'm going to try and activate the teleport on the communicator."

There was silence on the other end.

The Master pounded the desk. "Come on, you have to do this!"

Clara rose slowly from the floor, inching towards the shaking door. She took a deep breath. She was absolutely terrified, but she had to do this. She closed her eyes, and opened the door.

There was the distinct growling noise of an angel when it was turning to stone, and then there was nothing. The only sound was the angels moving and becoming frozen.

She slowly made her way out the door, feeling her way down the hall. Several times she accidently touched a statue. It was a wonder she hadn't tripped yet. Step by step she made her way through them.

Below, the Master works frantically at the communicator. He wasn't sure of what was going on upstairs, and it scared him.

Suddenly, she stood stock still. There was the sound of stone grating. She started forward again, not knowing what it was. But, when she tried to step forward again, she couldn't. It was as if someone had a grip on the back of her dress.

"Master." Her voice came out barely above a terrified squeak. "I think the angel has me."

The Master stopped his work on the communicator. "What do you mean 'the angel has you'?"

_We shall take her, and we shall take you to, Lord of Time!_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This chapter contains the first real fluff! :D**

* * *

The Master's hands froze as he heard the voice come over the communicator. "Weeping Angels can't talk!"

Clara stifled a horrified shriek as she heard the masculine voice in her ear, scrunching her eyes tightly shut, not daring to move an inch.

_I stole the voice of a man a long time ago._ The voice sounded like a young man.

"Ah, should have figured it." The Master worked frantically. "So tell me, what do they call you?"

_Bob._

"Angel Bob. What do you want with us?"

_We were once defeated by a Lord of Time such as yourself. We were trapped in the time crack, but when you escaped, we escaped too. The Lady of Time failed to keep you away from us._

"The Doctor defeated you. Well, I can assure you, I am far better than the Doctor. How do you plan on 'ruling over all of time and space'?"

_We will start by taking her, and then you. The angels will take Manhattan once again._

"Take her. See what I care."

Clara's breath hitched at his words. What was he saying? Had he really been fooling her the entire time? He really was as cold as the Doctor said. He was going to leave her to die at the hands of the Weeping Angels.

"Stupid Time Lord." She gritted out.

The Master almost flinched at her words, but continued talking to the angel. "Why bother going after me? Why not get revenge on the Doctor?"

_We would rather not deal with the Doctor._

"You're scared of him. So, you go after the next Time Lord you can find. Me."

_We followed you through the time crack._

"Well, why haven't you killed her yet? Why haven't you come after me?"

_You don't know the treachery in an angels kiss._

The Master grabbed the communicator. "Clara, open your eyes NOW!"

Clara snapped her eyes open. She gasped as she found herself face to face with an angel, its lips inches from hers. "Master, wha—"

"Hold on." The Master muttered.

"Master, they're coming!" Clara yelled as she heard more grinding and growling behind her.

Suddenly, she found herself tumbling into the Master's arms.

"It's okay. You're in the lobby." He said, supporting her. "I activate the short range teleporter on the communicator."

After a moment of shock, Clara shoved his hands off of her, yelling: "You stupid Time Lord! I thought I was going to die!" She punched him as hard as she could in the chest. "What kind of person does that?"

The Master rubbed the spot where he had been punched ruefully. "Ow. That's the only chest I've got, you know!"

"Why?" Clara asked angrily.

"I'm sorry, but I had no choice! The angels would have killed you instantly if they knew I cared-" He stopped himself.

Clara's anger faded away as she realized what he was about to say, and she smiled. "You care about me?"

The Master looked up at the ceiling as he heard movement upstairs. "We have to get back to the TARDIS." He grabbed her hand and they fled the building.

It was early morning in Manhattan. The sky was just beginning to turn light with the first rays of dawn. Everything was still wet from the previous nights' storm, and the entire city smelled of the freshly fallen rain. Fortunately, not very many people were on the streets as they tore down the slick sidewalk.

When Clara turned looked behind them, she saw that the angels had broken the door of the hotel, and it now hung lopsidedly by one hinge. The angels were just beginning to come forth from the building as they ran. To her, it looked like a whole multitude.

"Where's the alley?" The Master muttered to himself as they rounded a corner.

Clara pointed. "There! It was near Central Park!"

As they ran, Clara almost slammed into a man wearing a trench coat, accompanied by a fashionably dressed young woman. The man held a strange device in his hand as they walked. "Sorry!" She called back.

The man smiled and waved. "Quite alright, love!"

They crossed the empty street, and as they were running toward the alley, Clara swore she saw the Angel of the Waters among the trees.

The Master rounded the corner of the alleyway, and stopped suddenly, causing Clara to bump into his back. His TARDIS was still there, all right, but so were the angels.

There were four statues gathered around the phone box. They had their arms outstretched in various poses, and it looked as if they were trying to get inside.

"The angels have the phone box." The Master muttered.

"What? Why?" Clara asked, fearfully peering out from behind him.

"You know how I said that the angels feed off time energy?"

"Yeah."

"The time vortex is inside the TARDIS. It is an infinite source of food for them. They could consume enough power to hold dominion over time and space if they got inside. But, they can't get inside without the key."

"How do we get in?"

"I can summon the TARDIS using the key like I did before." He started looking in his pockets.

Clara looked behind them, and saw that the angels had now come into view a couple of blocks away. "Master, they're coming!"

The Master made a loud exclamation, Clara assumed a curse word, in another language, probably Gallifreyian. "I left it in my vest!"

Clara looked back again and saw that the angels had drawn closer. "Master!"

"Just give me a second to think, Clara!" He snapped at her.

Suddenly Clara felt a tug at her dress. She looked down, and saw the little girl from before standing there, holding up a silver key.

"He left this behind."

Clara looked at the Master, who was pacing back and forth, muttering to himself, and staring at the angels. She took the key. "Thank you!" The girl turned to go, but Clara called to her. "Wait! Who are you? Come with us!"

The girl turned and smiled. "You'll see me again."

Clara tapped the Master on the shoulder.

"What is it?" He barked in irritation.

Clara held up the key. The Master grabbed it and stared at it as if it was a dangerous explosive. "Where did you get this?"

"The little girl gave it to me."

The Master peered around the corner, but she was gone already. What he did see was that the angels were across the street now.

He took her by the hand and held up the TARDIS key. It glowed and suddenly they were standing inside the control room.

"Let's get out of here!" He ran for the controls, but was thrown from his course by the TARDIS suddenly shaking violently.

"What's that?" Clara yelled as she grabbed onto the rail for support.

"It's the angels!" The Master replied as he started manning the controls. "They're trying to get inside! It looks like they've been slowly sucking energy from the TARDIS anyway, and I only have enough for one stop. I need to recharge!"

"Recharge? Since when does this thing need to recharge?"

"Not very often, at least!" The Master flipped a switch, and the satisfying grinding started up. The TARDIS stopped shaking as they dematerialized.

Clara let go of the railing, sinking to the floor as her legs suddenly felt weak.

The Master walked over and crouched down beside her. "Are you alright?"

"Oh nothing." Clara's voice shook slightly. "I just thought I was going to die, is all."

The Master wrapped his arms around her small, shaking form. "Look, I'm sorry I had to do that. They would have killed you instantly."

"Did you mean it when you said you cared about me?"

"I never said that."

Clara smiled up at him. "Sure you didn't." She let her head rest against his chest, listening to the double heartbeat of a Time Lord. She found it quite comforting. The Master drummed the same beats on her shoulder.

After a while, Clara asked: "What did the angel mean by 'the angels kiss'?"

"It's another way the angels kill you. If you're kissed by an angel, they can suck your life force away, and create duplicates of different people, which would die in a matter of weeks. They could also just take it all and turn you into a pile of dust.

"The angel was inches away." Clara shuddered in disgust. "The mere thought of it is revolting."

"Well don't worry. They're gone now." Clara swore that she felt his lips ghost over her head, but she wasn't sure.

She stood up, looking down at her dress, which was now torn and stained. "Well, I'm going to clean myself up and take a nice, long nap."

The Master smiled after her. "Have fun."

* * *

Clara walked into her bathroom and took a good look at herself in the mirror. She looked horrible. She had dark rings under her eyes from lack of sleep. Her hair was still as it had previously been, but messy and tangled. Her face, along with her dress, was stained with dirt and who knows what else. The dress wasn't very comfortable anymore, being damp and clammy. She still felt the angel's grip on the back. She needed a nice hot shower.

Later, she stepped out of the shower, feeling quite refreshed. She threw the dress into the back of her closet and changed into a tank top and sweat pants that looked good for sleeping in. She almost fell onto her bed and was asleep instantly.

* * *

"Clara? Hello, can you hear me?"

Clara opened her eyes. She was sitting in a chair in front of a round table in a room with stained glass windows. Across the table sat the Doctor.

"Doctor?"

He smiled. "Good. You can hear me."

Clara looked around. "I must be dreaming."

"You are, and so am I, but we are really talking. It's a conference call."

"Okay…" Clara said, not attempting to understand what was going on.

The Doctor leaned forward. "Clara, are you okay? The Master hasn't hurt you, has he?"

Clara shook her head. "No. He's actually been quite kind, considering how he is. Though, he has been trying to stay away from you."

"Clara." The Doctor stared at her. "He's dangerous. He could kill you any time."

"Doctor, have you tried to understand him? He's got this drumming sound in his head that won't go away! It's there all the time! Have you ever considered that what he does isn't his fault? I would be mad if I had that in my head!"

He sat back. "So it's still there. At least you're safe."

Clara shrugged. "Well…"

"Well what?"

"He saved me from the Weeping Angels. There was one named Bob."

"Bob. I destroyed him. How did he get out?"

"He said he escaped through the time crack with the Master, along with the other angels."

"Oh, great." The Doctor muttered. "Another problem. Where are you?"

"We were in Manhattan."

"Figures. No surprise he went there."

The look in his eyes told Clara not to ask, but instead said: "There was a little girl named Melody who kept appearing. Who was she?"

The Doctor smiled slightly. "You'll see her soon."

"Right now we're staying somewhere to recharge the TARDIS."

"So you'll be in the same place for a couple of days…" He went silent.

"Doctor, what happened to start all this? With you showing up at my house with the Master and all?"

"I may have accidently flown the TARDIS into the time crack and landed on Gallifrey, preferably in the Master's cell as he was about to be put on trial. Apparently he had only been there a few weeks since he was sucked in. I busted him out, and we were chased by Time Lords. We escaped the crack in the TARDIS, but apparently we weren't the only ones that escaped. Some Time Lords and angels did as well, at least. We got into a fight onboard, and I knocked him out. Since we were being chased, I left him at your house. And now here we are." The Doctor spread his hands wide.

Clara's formed flickered. She looked down at herself. "What's happening?"

"You're waking up." The Doctor said. "I haven't got much time, but I just wanted to say, be careful!"

* * *

The Doctor sat up. He had been lying on the floor of his TARDIS. He stood up to see that the screen on the console was flashing. It read:

_LIFE FORM IN PROXIMITY WITH THE TARDIS_

_SPECIES: GALLIFREYIAN_

The Doctor braced himself. They had found him while he slept. He waited for the pounding on, or the possible breaking of the door. But it never came.

Instead, there was a timid knocking.

He inched to the door and tried to look out the windows, but to no avail. He slowly undid the lock and opened the door slightly, preparing for the worst.

"Mum?"

* * *

**Cliffhangers FTW.**


	7. Chapter 7

Clara woke up the next morning, or at least what seemed to be morning in the TARDIS, feeling surprisingly refreshed. She had been convinced that the Weeping Angels would plague her in her dreams, but apparently not.

She lay in bed for a few minutes after waking up, mulling over her "conversation" with the Doctor. So, he had freed the Master, along with a bunch of other nasty stuff; the Weeping Angels being one of them. And now they were probably chasing them. She wouldn't admit it completely, but those things terrified her. At least the Doctor was coming, chased by Time Lords or not.

She sat up as her stomach gave a loud rumble. Food. That's what she needed. She started to go to the kitchen, but somehow ended up in the control room instead thanks to the TARDIS' ever-changing corridors.

As she entered, she noticed the Master splayed out on one of the benches that were around the room. His limbs were spread out in every direction imaginable, but his face looked peaceful enough. He had not changed out of his clothes from the previous day, and his hair was a complete mess.

Clara stepped closer, trying to be quiet. She had never seen him sleep before, but it looked like he needed it, judging by the dark rings under his eyes. Next thing she knew, she was next to him. It was strange to see him so peaceful.

She started when he mumbled: "I still say you like what you see."

Clara left the room as fast as she could. She was embarrassed at being caught, and the Master's low chuckling behind her did not help.

Finally, she found the kitchen. The book she had been reading two days ago was still open to the same spot on the counter, though everything else had been put away. She figured that now would be a great time to practice making soufflés.

* * *

The Master looked up from the TARDIS console. He recognized that stench. Smoke.

Wait a minute.

Smoke?

He ran into the corridors of the TARDIS. "Clara?" He followed the acrid smell toward the kitchen, the smell growing stronger as he progressed. He burst into the kitchen and found himself staring at Clara, who was hitting at a smoking pan with a dish towel.

"Clara!" He shouted. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She yelled back. "I'm trying to put this out!"

The Master ran to the fridge and jerked it open, grabbing the nearest item to hand: a pitcher of water. He threw it over the burning pan, successfully putting out the blaze with a loud sizzle. He turned to face Clara. "What was that?"

"I was trying to make a souffle!"

"A soufflé." The Master looked at her incredulously. "Why?"

"My mum always made the best soufflés, but then she died. I always wanted to try and make the perfect soufflé, but I never could quite get the hang of it."

The Master looked down at the charred, smoking mess in the pan. "Obviously."

Clara cocked her head. "I'd like to see you try."

He snorted. "I don't cook."

"Well then what do you eat?"

"I don't."

Clara smacked him lightly in the shoulder. "Oi! That's not good for you, Time Lord or not." She walked over to the fridge and started pulling ingredients out. "I'll make something for you."

The Master started to protest. "But I'm not—"

"I don't care!" Clara interrupted. "I doesn't matter if you're 'the lord and master' or whatever. Boys need to eat."

The Master smiled crookedly at her, amused with her no-nonsense attitude.

"So," Clara said as she started preparing the food. "Where are we?"

"We're in London. I parked over top of a time crack so the TARDIS can regain energy."

"We're sitting over a crack?"

"It's not visible to anyone, but it's there. It's sort of like a small tear in the universe. I would suggest going out, but I don't know if the Weeping Angels are coming after us or not."

"That's probably good." She turned around and handed him a plate with a sandwich. "Here."

The Master looked it over. "Is it better than your soufflés?"

Clara scoffed. "I hope so. Also, go take a shower, or something." She gestured to his dirty appearance. "You're absolutely filthy!"

"But I don't want to!" The Master whined, like a child.

"Too bad!" Clara grabbed him by his shoulders and pushed him out the door. "Don't let me see you again until you're clean!" She smiled as she heard his grumbling recede into the distance. She sighed, and picked up _Pride and Prejudice_. Might as well catch up on some reading while waiting for him.

* * *

Clara retreated to the library, as it was probably the calmest place in the TARDIS. She had sat there for a good while, wrapped up in her book.

She started as she heard a metallic bang echo through the library. Sitting up, she called out: "Master?"

No response. She waited for a few seconds, but the noise did not come again. She settled back down, thinking nothing of it.

_BANG._

Clara stood up this time. "Master?" She laid her book on the table. It sounded like somebody was opening doors with great force. "Master, is that you?" She walked toward the door and opened it slowly, peering into the corridor.

BANG. The sound was closer this time.

She jumped back from the door. It probably wasn't the Master. She ran around the corner and hid, peering around the corner of a bookshelf at the door.

A metallic whirring was heard faintly at first, and it grew louder as something came closer. Clara's eyes widened as she saw the thing draw near to the door.

"FEMALE LIFE FORM DETECTED."

* * *

**(A/N: For this, I'm using the Woman from the End Of Time, and that's the way I perceive her, as the Doctor's mother.)**

* * *

"What?" The Doctor stepped back in shock. "What? How? I…"

The Woman stepped towards him, smiling, her eyes brimming with tears. "My Great Physician." They embraced.

"I never thought I'd see you again." The Doctor murmured, now holding her at arm's length. "How did you get here?"

"I escaped the time crack with the other Time Lords that came looking for you. Rassilon doesn't know that I left."

"Of course he doesn't." The Doctor muttered. "But how did you get _here_? I'm sitting in the middle of the Sahara Desert."

The Woman smiled. "I met someone who could help me." She turned aside to reveal a figure that the Doctor had not noticed before.

"Hello sweetie."


	8. Chapter 8

River stepped forward into the TARDIS.

The Doctor eyed her. "Did you lead her here?"

She smiled. "Indeed."

The Woman stroked his cheek lightly. "What a handsome face."

"Mom!" The Doctor exclaimed. "Not in front of the wife!"

"Well I have to agree." River said.

The Doctor ran his hands through his hair. "This is the strangest family reunion ever."

"Oh, now you've gone and messed up your hair!" The Woman fretted. "Let me fix it."

"Mom!" The Doctor shouted. "My hair is fine! I can fix it myself. Now tell me, why are you two here?"

"We want to keep you safe from Rassilon and the Time Lords." The Woman said. "But they are also hunting the Master."

"So am I. He took my companion, Clara."

The Woman shook her head. "What happened between you two? You used to be the best of friends."

"He chose to go his way, and I chose mine." The Doctor went silent for a moment. "But you must realize that the Time Lords weren't the only ones that escaped the crack. Some of the Weeping Angels that I destroyed in the Byzantium got through; Angel Bob to be specific. They tried to go after the Master and Clara, as far as I know."

River shuddered. "Horrible creatures."

"Well how do you suppose we get to the Master and your friend?" The Woman asked. "Do you know where they are?"

"No. Clara said that they were landed somewhere to recharge the Master's TARDIS, but she didn't know where. Landing on a crack like that is dangerous now, because other things might come through."

"How did the Master come by Clara anyway?" River asked. "I saw them in Manhattan a long time ago, and they seemed to be getting along as well as they possibly could."

"I may have… left him at her house."

"What? You should know better by now than to leave a dangerous criminal at a girl's house!" The Woman scolded.

"I know, I know! I just needed to leave him somewhere for a bit while I went and fixed some problems, and that's the first place I thought of. It was a good place to hide him. I didn't think that he would escape and take her away!"

River held up her wrist. "I could warp us to his TARDIS if you know the location."

"That's the problem: I don't. All Clara knew was that they were sitting over a crack to recharge, which gives us a couple of days to look for her before they move again. And besides, I'm not leaving my TARDIS unattended!"

"We're in one of the most secluded places on earth!" River said, gesturing to the hot, arid desert outside. "I hardly think anyone is going to notice a blue police box!"

"The Doctor's right." The Woman said. "The Time Lords can track other TARDISes easily. Best not to leave it."

"What do you suppose we do then? Can we track the Master's TARDIS?"

"We could fly into the time crack." The Doctor said. "It would be dangerous. We wouldn't know what we would meet or where we would pop out, but it's our best bet."

River smiled and slammed the TARDIS doors shut. "Bring it on!"

The Doctor flipped a switch. "Geronimo!"

* * *

Clara watched in horror as the eyestalk appeared.

Daleks.

How had they got into the TARDIS? Had they already found the Master? Clara started slowly moving away as their cylinder bodies rolled into view.

"FEMALE LIFE FORM DETECTED."

Clara froze at the shriek. They had already seen her?

"LOCATION UNKNOWN."

Clara relaxed a little. Good. She crouched and slowly made her way down the aisle. Reaching the end, she flattened her back against the bookshelf, trying to steady here breathing. Where was the Master? Judging by the whirring, there were at least two.

Painful memories from her past lives tugged at the corners of her mind. Daleks attacking her. Becoming a Dalek herself. The Doctor. _Run you clever boy._

She dared to peek around the corner. At the other end of the aisle she saw the Daleks whirring slowly past. They did not notice her.

Clara sighed in relief. She was safe. She turned back to move farther into the library, and found herself facing a Dalek. She screamed, stumbling backwards.

"HUMAN FEMALE REGISTERS AS COMPANION TO THE DOCTOR! EX-TER-MI-NATE!"

Clara turned and ran, barely dodging the destruction beam from the Dalek. "Master!" she screamed, hoping he would hear.

"EX-TER-MI-NATE!"

She rounded a corner and nearly ran into another Dalek. How many were there? She turned and ran in the other direction. She went around as many corners and twists and turns as possible, hoping to lose the monsters.

"WHERE HAS THE FEMALE GONE?" She heard one screech.

Clara smiled. She could take this opportunity to escape. As quietly as possible, she started making her way towards the front of the library. Fortunately, the Daleks, had dispersed to other parts of the room, and the door out looked free.

As quick as she could, she darted to the door and ran out, slamming it behind her. She pressed her back against the door, breathing a sigh of relief at her escape. But, her relief was short lived as another screech rang in her ear:

"EX-TER-MI-NATE!"

Another Dalek had appeared in the corridor, coming towards her.

"Not again." She muttered, turning to run again, But, of course, she had to cut the classic "trip and fall while being chased by a monster bit". She tumbled to the floor, cringing as the Dalek loomed over her. "Master!"

She huddled into a ball, waiting for a painful death, but it never came. The next thing she heard was the Dalek saying: "LIFE FORM REGISTERS AS TIME LORD!" TIME LORDS MUST BE EXTERMINATED!"

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen."

Clara cracked open an eye. The Master stood in front of her, facing the Dalek. His hair was wet, and it looked as if he had literally thrown on his black hoodie and pants.

"If you want her, you're going to have to go through me first."

"EX-TER-MI-NATE THE TIME LORD!"

The Master smiled coldly. "No."

Clara watched as blue electricity crackled around his hands. He shot forward a beam of the stuff, hitting the Dalek full-on. The robot screeched and then exploded. At that same moment, the three Daleks in the library burst through the door.

"EX-TER-MI-NATE!"

The Master turned on them, using the same energy, destroying them instantly. He turned to face Clara, and she gasped as she saw his face flicker between the normal appearance and one that looked like his skeleton, but it only lasted for a second.

He smiled at her. "I did good, yeah?" Then he crumpled to the floor.

Clara scrambled to her feet and ran to him. Feeling his pulse, she saw with relief that he was still alive, but just unconscious. She grabbed him under the shoulders and started dragging him down the hall. She wasn't sure if there were other Daleks around, but she wasn't about to find out. This TARDIS had to have an infirmary somewhere.

She found that the Master was quite heavy to drag around, and after a while her arms started to get tired. "TARDIS!" She yelled, hoping that it would respond to her like the Doctor's did. "Can you please get me to the infirmary?"

Down the hall, a door opened.

"Oh." She muttered. "Convenient timing." She dragged the Master into the room.

It looked like a basic infirmary. The walls were lined with cabinets full of various vials and medicines. On the other side of the room were three beds.

She made sure to lock the door behind her, in case of more Daleks. After much strain, she managed to get the Time Lord onto the bed. Pulling a chair up to the bed, she started to wait for the Master to wake up. She put her hand in his, and it closed around hers.

She blushed, but then remembered he was unconscious, and it was probably was just a reflex. After a while, her back started to feel tired. She wanted to go and lay down in the other bed, but found that the Master had a death grip on her hand. She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. Looks like she was staying here.


	9. Chapter 9

The Master woke slowly. Memories flooded back to him of destroying Daleks. How had they gotten into the TARDIS anyway? He felt weak and hungry. He had expended a lot of energy.

He looked around his surroundings. He was in the Infirmary. How had he gotten here? Clara must have brought him.

He looked over and saw Clara resting her head on his shoulder, dozing. One hand was held in his, while the other was flung across his chest. He squeezed her hand lightly. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt that he was beginning to fall for this small human girl. She was like no other. He was probably growing weak in his old age. He wanted to move, but at the same time he didn't because it would wake her up.

She was the reason he started caring about living. On Gallifrey, he hadn't cared if he died. It would end his miserable existence. But then the Doctor came and freed him. He had been mad at first, but then she had shown up, and everything seemed brighter, despite the fact that he had technically kidnapped her, and that the Doctor was probably searching for her.

He finally settled for staying where he was, and started tapping the drums on the bed. He could wait.

* * *

Clara was dreaming. This time, she was having nightmares.

She was being chased by a Dalek down a dark, steamy corridor. No matter what she did, she couldn't escape it. It kept on pursuing her.

"EX-TER-MI-NATE!" It screeched.

The breath sobbed in her throat as she ran. There was no Master to save her this time. She was in the Dalek Asylum, running to escape conversion. It was fruitless, though. She knew it.

She rounded a corner, and found herself staring at a dead end. She flattened her back against the wall, staring in horror as the blue light of the Dalek's eyestalk shone into view.

"Please, no." She whimpered as it came closer.

"PRE-PARE FOR FULL CON-VER-SION!" The Dalek said.

"No!" Clara screamed.

As the Dalek was about to reach her, it screeched: "CLARA! WAKE UP!"

Then she was tumbling through blackness. Somebody was telling her to wake up, and somebody else was crying.

Her eyes flew open. She was clutching the Master's shirt, and she was the one crying.

"Clara?"

She clung to his shirt, letting the tears flow out. The Master sat up slowly, pulling her up to sit beside him on the bed. "It's alright." He said, hugging her tightly. "You're safe. It was only a dream and nothing more."

After a while, her tears subsided. She sniffed and wiped away the remaining stains. "I'm such a child, crying over stupid dreams like that."

"It's fine." The Master's voice was a rumble in his chest as Clara leaned against him. "Everyone has nightmares. Even Time Lords."

"Are you okay?" She looked up at him. "You passed out."

"I'm fine." He smiled. "Just a bit weak."

"What was that? You were destroying Daleks, and then for one instant, you were this creepy skeleton thing…"

"It's like a… glitch. This body was born from death, and I'm able to expel my life force from my body. And sometimes, the inside shows through."

"Will you die?" Clara looked up at him fearfully.

"No. All I need to do is eat something and then I'll be fine."

"How did the Daleks get in here anyway?"

"I think they came from the time crack we're sitting on top of. The TARDIS should be fully charged by now, so I'll move us when I get the chance.

"Are there more on board?"

"No. I destroyed them all."

Clara shut her eyes tightly. "Those things scare me to death."

"Is that what your dream was about?"

"Yeah. I have some… bad memories of them."

"Well, I'm going to move the TARDIS before more show up and get in." The Master stood up, and wobbled slightly.

Clara grabbed his arm. "Looks like I'm supporting you now."

They made their way to the control room, albeit slowly. When they got there, they saw that the door was wide open.

"Really?" The Master complained. "Who knows what else could've gotten in!" He turned to Clara. "Get me some food."

Clara cocked her head. "What's the magic word?"

The Master stared at her. "What magic word?"

Clara sighed. "Say please!"

The Master rolled his eyes. "Can you _please_ get me some food?"

Clara smiled and skipped off. "Thank you!"

The Master watched as she left. She seemed far better now than she had been earlier. He went over to shut the door, but when he closed it, it got stuck and there was a small metallic _clank_. He looked down to see a tiny metallic object wedged in the doorway.

He picked it up, inspecting it. It was a tiny cybernetic bug made of metal. "How'd this get here?" he muttered. Thinking nothing of it, he slammed the door and tossed the bug on the console as he started up the TARDIS.

* * *

Clara started to make her way back to the Master. She didn't know how hungry he would be, so she had taken pretty much everything she could find and stuffed it into a random basket she had found. Fortunately, she had not run into any other monsters lurking around the halls so far.

She was starting to think she liked the Master. Despite what the Doctor had said about him being a criminal and dangerous, he didn't seem too much like that. Sure maybe he had drums in his head, and he was a little bit crazy, and arrogant not to mention, that didn't mean he was bad. He had saved her life twice now, and was probably bound to do it again. She wasn't as worried about the Doctor finding her quickly now, but she still wanted to see him again. She wondered what it was about the Doctor and the Master that made them not like each other. They were the last two Time Lords, as far as she knew, so they should get along, right?

At that point, she entered the control room. She set the basket on a bench and looked around. The Master was nowhere to be seen.

"Master?" She called. She looked at the console, and saw that they had entered the time vortex. He had been here at some point.

Suddenly, a voice breathed in her ear.

"Wakey, wakey."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I was on Xbox Live last night, talking to one of my friends, AND HE FOUND MY FANFICTION ACCOUNT. It was so embarrassing, but he was laughing his head off. And now, I know that he is going to read this, whether he thinks it's long or not. So: Dear WinningLego, do not mention this thing to anyone at school or your brother or anyone ever. ~Yatz**

**Also yesterday, I saw the new trailer for series 8 and I was all :O It looks like it's going to be awesome. I officially ship wouffaldi now, along with Master/Clara. Some people don't like it though. :P Also, SERIES 8 CONVENIENTLY PREMIERES THE WEEKEND AFTER MY SCHOOL STARTS. Great.**

**Let's pretend that Clara was not there for Nightmare in Silver.**

* * *

The TARDIS gave a creaking groan as it entered the time crack.

"She doesn't like it." The Doctor muttered.

"She never has!" River commented as they were thrown about.

"It'll get better in a second after we enter!"

True to his word, after a minute, the shaking subsided for the meantime as they entered the vortex.

"When and where will we land?" River asked.

"Don't know." The Doctor stated simply. "Could be an hour, could be two days. As for where, it could be any location of a tear in time, which means anywhere in the universe."

The Woman tilted her head. "You always were a dangerous boy."

"Mom…"

River stood up from where she had been thrown. "Well, if we have two days to wait, I'm going to find something to do. Bye!"

* * *

The Doctor and the Woman sat alone in the console room. River had gone off somewhere else in search of some "better clothes", as she put it.

"How did River get out?" The Doctor asked. "How did she escape the library?"

"When some of the Time Lords were set free, they resurrected those trapped in the library. She is free now."

"How did she find you?"

"She found me wandering the streets of the capital. I had heard you had come back, and I started looking for you. She came up to me and asked me if I knew the Doctor. Of course, I said yes, and she used her vortex manipulator to get us here." She leaned forward. "You set me free from Rassilon. I know it's been a long time in your world, but it was only a week in mine. I was set to be executed along with the Master and some other Time Lords, but in the commotion you caused, all of us escaped. So he's not only coming after you and the Master, but he's coming after me as well."

The Doctor gritted his teeth. "Rassilon… Why can't he ever learn?"

"He wants to avoid death at any cost, even at the cost of his own people."

The Doctor sat forward. "What of Susan and the others?"

"The rest are still on Gallifrey, but they are free." She went silent for a moment, and then asked: "Where did you meet River? She seems quite fond of you."

"She's the daughter of some very good friends of mine."

"Where are they?"

"The Weeping Angels took them. I know they lived a happy life in the past, but River was never able to see her parents again, nor could I."

"You lose so many." She said quietly. "And yet you keep on running."

"I dare not look back."

* * *

Clara whirled to face the Master. "You scared the living daylights out of me! What—" She cut herself short. It was the Master all right, but now he had some weird cyber contraption attached to the left side of his face. "Master? What's that on your face?"

"The Master isn't here." He said, a dark look in his eyes. "I am the newly resurrected Cyber Planner!" He threw out his arms as he said the last two words. "Oh, this mind is so much more insane than the Doctor's. I like it."

Clara backed up against the console, staring at him in horror as he drew closer. Not know what else to do, she slapped across the face as hard as she could.

"Ow!" He yelled, grabbing his face. "Thank you."

"Which one are you?"

"The Master."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Koschei."

"Excuse me?"

"Koschei. That's my real name. Good enough?"

"Okay…" Clara blinked. Had he just really told her his real name? "What's going on?"

"There's a Cyber Planner inside my head. He controls half my brain, I control the other half. There is one tiny section of the brain left untouched. Whoever gets that gets control of the brain." He twitched a little and his eyes turned dark again. "This mind is so much better than the Doctor's. Ooh, why so much interest in—" He whirled. "Get out of my head!" He turned again. "…Clara."

She stared at him in horror as he appeared to have an argument with himself. It was just like the Jekyll and Hyde story she had read.

"…Information on the Time Lords, Gallifrey, the Doctor." He turned on her. "The drums in his head. The girl. You." He looked beyond her. "A TARDIS! A fully operational TARDIS!" He smiled evilly, and then his expression turned to one of horror. "Clara! Stop him!"

She stared at him. "How?"

He took a shaky step forward. "He's got control of my legs! Stop me before he's able to send hurling to who knows where!"

She ran forward and grabbed his arm, trying to pull him backwards. He was stronger than she had anticipated. Suddenly, he turned on her, grabbing her wrist in an iron grip.

"Master!" She yelled.

"Stay away from me." He hissed, shoving her away, advancing toward the console.

"No!" She ran toward him, trying to grab his arm again, but it was too late. He smashed a fist down on the console, and the TARDIS started up, groaning.

He veered away, staring at his hands. "What have I done?"

"I don't know!" Clara yelled at him.

He looked at her. "Tie me up."

"Okay." She grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him away from the console and dragged him into a random sitting room.

"Clara, what could short out circuits?"

"I don't know. Cleaning detergents?"

He smiled widely. "That's it! You're brilliant!" He grabbed her face and kissed her forehead, and then spun away. "That's what is used to short out Cybermen! There should be closet nearby with everything you need."

Clara was dazed for a moment. Was it the Cyber Planner that had kissed her, or the Master? She shook her head to clear it, and then grabbed a chair and pulled it out the door, wedging it firmly under the door once she had left to ensure that he would not escape.

As she was walking away, she flinched as she heard a bang. It was the Cyber Planner kicking the door, no doubt, trying to escape.

* * *

_Stop messing around in my head!_ The Master yelled.

The Cyber Planner cocked his head, listening to the drums echo throughout the Master's head_. I think you're already messed up._

_Stop it._ The Master growled. _Get out of my head!_

_No. I've infected the Doctor before. Same information on Time Lords, but so much better. You have more ambitions, and will not hesitate to kill._

_Where are you taking us?_

_A cybership._ The Cyber Planner smiled. _I will reawaken the cybermen once again. One section of the brain still hangs in the balance. It appears to be the part with all the information on… Clara._

_You leave her alone! _The Master yelled.

_Oh, but she is so much more to you._

* * *

Clara was returning. She was carrying a coil of rope and a bucket full of ammonia. To her relief, the door had remained intact. She removed the chair, and inched the door open. The Master was sitting with his back to her.

"You leave her alone!" He yelled. "Oh, but she is so much more."

She snuck up behind him and whipped the rope around his chest and arms, tying him as tight as she could. Then, she walked around to face him.

He smiled at her. "Welcome back Clara."

"I have the cleaning solution."

"Give it to me then."

"No! You're tied up. And besides, just in case you're not you."

"The Cyber Planner is thinking. Sshh."

She leaned forward. "Tell me something only the Master would know."

"Well, I guess I'm the only one who knows how I feel about you." He looked up at her. "You're pretty, and funny, and-"

She slapped him across the face again.

"Ow!" He barked. "That stings! How did you know that wasn't me?"

"Because, if that were true, which it's not, you wouldn't be so mushy. You're too arrogant for that."

"Hey!"

She reached down and pulled the sponge out of the bucket, dripping with the cleaning liquid. "Okay, now hold still." She applied the sponge on the cybernetic thing, and there was a small sparking noise.

The Master sighed. "He's not as powerful now, so at least I can get a grip."

"How did this happen?"

"I picked up a small bug I found on the floor of the TARDIS, and it turned out to be a machine that works with the Cybermen. It crawled up me and planted the Cyber Planner into my head. I think it came out of the time crack."

"Is there a way to get rid of it permanently?"

"I don't know."

At that point, the hollow sound of the TARDIS sounded throughout the halls.

"Where are we?" Clara asked, looking around.

"A cybership."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry I'm slightly late! Had to stay at church for longer than I had anticipated.**

** Sherlockedbyben: I'm interested as to when you are going to update your Clara/Master story. It's been almost three weeks. D:**

* * *

The Doctor and the Woman gave a start as the TARDIS landed. He got up and ran to the door that led farther into the TARDIS.

"River, come on!" He called into the hall. "We've landed!"

"I'm coming!" Was the faint response.

The Woman rose from her seat "Where are we?"

"Ah…" The Doctor checked the TARDIS console. "London! Perfect! And judging by the looks of it, we've arrived at almost the exact place where the Master's TARDIS should be." He patted the controls. "Well done, old girl."

"What are the chances?" River had come to the doorway. She had changed into a simple blouse and pants. "The TARDIS always knows where to go."

"Is it still out there?" The Woman asked.

The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver. "Let's go and find out."

He poked his head out first. They were in a small square, with a fountain in the middle. It was nighttime, and the area was dimly lit only by street lights. A light rain was coming down, causing everything to glisten. No other TARDIS was in sight.

The Doctor walked out into the rain. "They must've left already! That's strange. Seems like quite a premature departure for someone charging a TARDIS." He started walking around, scanning the area with his screwdriver.

The Woman looked around. The square was rather simple, and there was not a person in sight. As she looked, something glinting in the faint light caught her eye.

The Doctor suddenly stopped his scanning, staring at his sonic.

"What is it?" River asked.

"Traces of Dalek… and cyber technology?"

The Woman crouched down and picked the tiny object up, inspecting it. "Doctor…"

"Just a minute."

She looked up, staring at what was in front of her. "Doctor."

"One sec!"

"Doctor!"

"What?" He turned around. "Oh."

The Woman was staring at a statue, which was still a few meters away from her, but had its arms outstretched. The lights around the square were beginning to flicker.

"Mom, back away slowly." The Doctor said, not taking his eyes off of the statue.

She slowly walked backwards until River grabbed her shoulder, stopping her. She handed the tiny object to the Doctor. "I found this on the ground over there."

"River, watch the statue." The Doctor said while he looked the thing over. It was a tiny metal bug. "A cybermite. Mister Clever!"

"Excuse me?" River said.

The Doctor poked his head. "Think. Daleks, a cybermite , Angels, a TARDIS disappearing."

"Doctor, what's going on?" River demanded as she found it increasingly hard to keep her eyes on the statue.

"This crack leaks things." The Doctor explained. "It's leaking things I've killed in the past, including…" He trailed off.

"Including what?"

"A Cyber Planner. I think a Cyber Planner has control of the Master."

"Well, that's the least of our concerns!" The Woman shouted. "Right now we're surrounded by a bunch of W-"

The Doctor turned to look at her as she cut off, only to find them standing with horrified expressions on their faces; stone hands clamped over their mouths. Statues had come up behind them and grabbed them.

"Don't move." He breathed. "It'll be okay."

_So we meet again, Doctor._

He turned, looking up at the fountain. Perched on the point of the fountain was an angel with a jagged-toothed smile on its face.

"Angel Bob."

_Correct, sir._

"How are you here? You were in the nineteen sixties a few days ago."

_We chased the Lord of Time's TARDIS through the crack._

"But instead, you found me."

_We meet again, Lady of Time._ Angel Bob said, seemingly acknowledging River.

River mumbled something that sounded distinctly like: "You despicable creature."

"What do you want?" The Doctor asked.

_Give us the TARDIS._

The Doctor looked back at the box, which had remained untouched for the time being. "You know I wouldn't let that happen."

_Then you're friends will die._

The Doctor pointed at the smirking statue. "You understand this, Angel Bob. I just got my mother and my wife back from the dead, and there is no way on this earth I am ever losing them again! You understand that?"

_Then choose._ The Angel said. _Your family or the TARDIS._

* * *

"I think it would be okay to untie me now, at least for a time." The Master said.

"You sure about that?" Clara said, eying him suspiciously. "Or do you want me to slap you again just to make sure?" She raised her hand to slap him.

"No, Clara, no!" The Master wiggled around. "I'm fine, it's really me! You don't have to slap me again!"

"Okay…" Clara undid the bonds, and maintained a safe distance from him as he stood up, massaging his wrists.

"I can't blame you for being suspicious." He said.

"Tell me your real name."

He grinned. "Koschei."

"Good enough." She grabbed the sponge with ammonia and the rope. "I'm taking these just in case."

"Good idea."

As they walked down the TARDIS corridors, Clara finally got the courage to ask: "Was it you or the Cyber Planner that kissed me?"

The Master looked at her, smiling slightly. "What do you think?"

"Er, well, I honestly don't know. After all, it was the Cyber Planner saying all that stuff about me, and—"

At that point, they entered the control room, and the Master cut her off. "We're here. Stay behind me."

He peered out the door, looking around. They were on a ship, with metal corridors. The walls were lined with seemingly deactivated Cybermen.

"I think it's okay." They stepped out into the ship.

"Why did the Cyber Planner bring us here?" Clara asked, looking around at all the dormant robots. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear as she looked at their shiny metal faces and dead black eyes.

"The Cyber Planner wants to reactivate the Cybermen; to resurrect them. The Cyber Planner acts as their commander." The Master explained. "But as long as I'm in control, I'll try to destroy the ship and get rid of this thing."

"And how long will you be in control?" Clara asked, feeling slightly intimidated by the dark look in the Time Lord's eyes.

"I'm not sure."

Clara shook her head. These last few days had been a turmoil of emotions.

Suddenly, the corridor opened up into a large room with control panels and a central steering system. On the far right side was a large window looking out into the blackness of space. Across from them was another display case looking thing, with strange robots, not Cybermen, inside. Their heads were transparent, and they could see the mechanical workings inside.

Clara walked to the window, looking out at space. "Wow. No matter how many times I see this, it never ceases to amaze me."

The Master walked over to the control panel and started pressing buttons. "You get tired of it, eventually."

She stared at the stars. "How do you get tired of this?"

"When you're a Time Lord, that's just the way things are."

"That doesn't seem like a very good existence." Clara mumbled.

"But sometimes it makes up for it, because after all, they're here."

"Who's here?"

"I am." His voice was far closer to her this time.

She turned, only to have his hands wrap around her neck. Looking up, she saw the dark, cold expression that the Cyber Planner harbored.

"Master… please…" She croaked as she was strangled, staring in terror at him.

"Maybe the Master won't fight as much if you're not around."

"Please…" She blacked out.

* * *

_What have you done?_ The Master roared at the Cyber Planner, battling for control of his mind.

_Relax. She's not dead, yet._

_You were wrong_. The Master hissed. _I will fight all the more now that she's been hurt!_

The Cyber Planner smiled. _Wakey, wakey._


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: SuperWhoLockLove: I'm saving the first kiss for a veeerrryy special moment. ;3 And it's not bad that read them all in under 20 minutes, cuz they're pretty short :P**

* * *

"You have to stop this!" The Master shouted as he looking around to see the Cybermen start moving.

"Oh, but it is so glorious." The Cyber Planner said sinisterly. "But, since you're obviously not going to stop fighting with me, I will give you one hour to figure out how to deactivate me. If you cannot, all these Cybermen will wake up." He held out his hand. "Deal?"

The Master shook his hand. "Deal." Immediately he felt the Cyber Planner retreat, going into hibernation. The first thing he did was run to Clara, looking her over. She had passed out from lack of oxygen, and had some dark bruises on her neck, but other than that, she looked fine.

"I need something…" The Master looked around for something to use as a protection. His eyes fell upon the robots in the display case things. "Perfect."

He walked over and pressed a red button that said "ACTIVATE" on it. The glass opened up, and the robots moved, the clockwork starting up in their heads. Three of them stepped out, whirring mechanically as they turned toward him.

"_What do you require of us_?" One buzzed.

"You see that girl?" He pointed to Clara on the floor. "You keep her away from me. If I come anywhere near her, keep her safe. Understood?"

"_Understood._" The three droids walked stiffly over to Clara and stood in a triangle around the girl, standing so still that they appeared to be frozen.

Good That was settled. The Master began wracking his brain for a list of possibilities for deactivating the Cyber Planner. He certainly didn't want all those Cybermen waking up. Then, he would be stuck in between himself, and the ruler of the Cybermen.

His first idea was to find some Cyberman weaponry, but it was a silly notion considering that they were standing in the middle of a Cybership. He began thinking about what would cancel out the metal that the Cybermen were made out of.

Gold.

That was it!

* * *

Clara slowly floated back into consciousness. Her throat heard, a lot. She opened her eyes. She was still lying on the floor of the Cybership. She sat up, rubbing her sore neck. Where was the Master? Looking up, she found herself surrounded by strange mechanical droids.

She stood up slowly and tapped one on the shoulder, jumping slightly as it turned to face. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

"_We are Clockwork Androids_." It intoned. "_We have been ordered to protect you_." It turned back to its outward-facing position.

The Master. Clara wondered if the Master still existed, or if the Cyber Planner had completely taken over by now. She attempted to step out of the triangle of droids, but one stuck out an arm, stopping her.

"_We have been ordered not to let you leave our protection_."

Clara sighed and stepped back into the middle, massaging her throat. The Master seemed to think a bit too much for her safety, but then again, he had tried to strangle her.

At that point, she heard a yell from down the hall. "_Don't you see? You've lost the game_!"

* * *

_Then choose. Your friends or the TARDIS_.

The Doctor looked from Angel Bob to River and the Woman, who looked very scared. "I choose… none." He pointed his screwdriver at the ground, pulling the TARDIS key out of his pocket at the same time.

The crack became visible, opening up like a canyon. He summoned the TARDIS, taking River and the Woman with him as the Angels were thrown back into the time vortex.

They tumbled to the floor of the TARDIS. It gave off a loud bang as it fell into the time crack, sparks flying. The Doctor threw himself over top of River and the Woman, covering his head.

Finally, the TARDIS entered a state of "temporal grace", as the Doctor had put it in the past. The Doctor stood up offering his hands to the women.

The Woman stood up, brushing herself off. "That was a bit too exciting if you ask me. But then again, I should have expected that when I rejoined you."

"You get used to it." River said.

The Doctor began flipping switches and pressing buttons. "Well at least I know what I'm doing now."

"You sure about that?"

"Yes." The Doctor held up the cybermite that the Woman had found. "I'm going to scan for any cyber technology in the universe. That'll surely lead us to the Master."

"How so?"

"If the Master is possessed by the Cyber Planner like I think he is, this'll take me right there." He looked at the console. "Ah! One cybership, floating in the middle of space. That's our best bet." He flipped the switch, and the TARDIS took off through the time vortex.

* * *

Later, the Doctor was sitting alone in the TARDIS console room when River came to join him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." The Doctor was staring down at the tiny cybernetic bug. "Just a little bit worried, is all."

River sat down next to him. "Worried about what?"

He leaned back, putting an arm around her shoulder. "I'm worried about Clara. The Cyber Planner almost took me over, and who knows what'll happen with the Master. And she's trapped in the middle of everything."

She leaned against him. "It'll turn out fine. It always does."

"Do you know the future, River?"

"Spoilers."

"Ah, you haven't changed a bit." He hugged her closer. "It's good to have you back."

"And you." River smiled. "Your mother seems like a wonderful lady. The way she frets over you is quite funny."

"That's the way she's always been." The Doctor said. "Especially now since she's basically come back from the dead. The last time I saw her was when she was plunged back into the Time War with the Master." His tone turned darker. "Rassilon made her bear her shame like a Weeping Angel, and seeing them today probably wasn't the best experience." He shook his head. "All she wanted to do was keep millions of humans from dying, but Rassilon wouldn't stand for it."

"Your president does not sound like a pleasant person."

"He used to be, but not anymore. The Time War changed him; it changed every one of them in some way.

"Even you?"

"Even me."

At that point, the TARDIS landed.

The Woman appeared in the doorway. "Are we on the Cybership?"

The Doctor checked the console. "Looks like it."

He flung open the TARDIS doors, and the first thing he saw was the Master being attacked by a clockwork droid.


	13. Chapter 13

_Half an hour prior…_

"Come on, come on!" The Master tore through his closet in his (rarely used) room. "Why do I have nothing gold?"

_Thirty minutes…_ The Cyber Planner echoed gleefully in his head.

"Shut up." The Master threw a Teletubby plushy over his shoulder. He stood up, looking around desperately. Had it been thirty minutes already?

"Why don't you have anything gold?" He yelled at his TARDIS. "Lives depend on this!" He blinked. Had he really just said that? "Well, a life!"

_Once I have control, I'll kill her first._

"I won't let you."

_We shall see. Tick tock goes the clock…_

The Master tried to think, blocking out the Cyber Planner. He had very little knowledge on human women, but he did know that they tended to wear a lot of jewelry; why, he didn't know. There could be a chance that Clara had some.

* * *

It seemed like another hour before he found her room. He wished the TARDIS wouldn't change corridors so much. Finally, he burst into what seemed like her room. It had to be, since that book that she had been reading for the past few days was lying on the table.

_Five minutes…_

"Really?" He scrambled to what looked like a jewelry box on the dresser, digging through it. He came up with a gold necklace. "Ah ha." He smirked. "Good bye, Cyber Planner." He pressed the necklace to the contraption on his face, enjoying the crackling sound of the Planner short circuiting.

He leaned against the dresser, collecting his thoughts. The Cyber Planner was seemingly gone, though the cyber technology still remained on his face. He would have to pry it off later. Then, he remembered Clara

_You forgot._

He froze as he heard that sinister voice in his head. "Forgot what? You're supposed to be deactivated."

_As part of the Cyberiad, we can upgrade ourselves past being deactivated by gold, and cleaning fluid. Ultimately, deactivating us is near impossible without some sort of cybermen destroying weapon._

"You tricked me!"

_I don't call myself Mister Clever for nothing._

"Get out!"

"_Don't you see? You've lost the game! THEY'RE HERE!"_

* * *

Clara watched in horror as the Cybermen started to move. What was going on?

At that point, the Master, or the Cyber Planner came around the corner.

"Which one are you?" She croaked. Her voice sounded strange and it hurt to talk.

"And now, time to get rid of you." He grinned evilly. He started forward, but stopped in his tracks as the clockwork droids turned to face him. "Clever Master." He clenched his teeth. "You ordered the droids to protect her. Smart move." He switched to the Master. "And I would suggest you back off before you get us both hurt!"

"…No." He ran forward. The clockwork droids advanced on him, very sharp looking knives springing from their hands.

Clara looked over as she heard an all too familiar grinding sound. Sure enough, a blue police box was materializing in the middle of the room. This momentarily distracted the Cyber Planner, allowing a droid to make a downward slash.

The Master fell to his knees staring at the place where his right hand used to be. Clara screamed as she saw the dismembered hand roll to the floor.

"What the…" The Doctor muttered as he stepped out the door of the TARDIS. "Master, what's going on?" He eyed the Cybermen that were beginning to walk towards them.

"You know what you can't upgrade past?" The Master yelled at the Cyber Planner while he clutched his wound.

What's that?

"Life itself!" He raised his left hand to his face, electricity sparking from his fingertips. He pressed it against the cybernetic thing on his face. He heard the Cyber Planner scream as the electricity surged through him.

The technology came off his face, clattering to the floor. The Cybermen behind him deactivated and fell to the floor as well.

"Master!" Clara ran forward to where the Master lay.

The Doctor watched the whole exchange carefully. He didn't like the way how friendly Clara seemed with the Master, and he also didn't like the dark bruises on her neck. Her voice sounded raspy, and hurt.

"Well that was…" The Doctor paused. "Interesting… to say the least."

River walked over and hit a button, deactivating the clockwork droids before they could chop anything else.

Clara helped the Master to his feet. "What about you hand?"

"Don't worry." He grinned, holding out the stump. Gold energy surrounded the wound, and just like that, a new hand had appeared.

"What?" Clara breathed, staring in amazement at the new appendage.

"Regeneration energy." The Doctor stated simply. "If a Time Lord sustains a minor injury like that, he or she can usually heal it like that easily without having to regenerate fully."

"Ooh, Clara!" River grinned. "He's quite a catch, isn't he?"

"River!" The Doctor yelled in exasperation, and the Woman chuckled behind him.

Clara slapped a hand over her face, desperately trying to hide her embarrassment.

The Master grinned down at her. "Well, I don't know. What do you think Clara?"

"Well that's nice and all," The Doctor said, stepping forward. "But if you don't mind, I would like my companion back please."

The Master turned to face him. "But I like this one!" He said almost childishly.

"But she's mine! Despite the fact that you've apparently treated her nicely enough, for the most part." He said the last words while eyeing the bruises on her neck.

She touched them tenderly. "That wasn't his fault." She rasped. "It was the Cyber Planner who did this."

"You sure about that?"

"Now hold on just a second!" The Master glared at him. "I may be insane, but I think I know not to hurt a woman!"

"Then what about Lucy?" The Doctor retorted.

"Who's Lucy?" Clara asked.

"Stay out of this!" The Doctor snapped at her.

"That was in the past, when I thought the Time Lords were on my side. But really, none of them are, not even you." He jerked his head in Clara's direction. "She's the only one who ever tried to understand."

"Master, you're my best friend." The Doctor said, a sad look filling his eyes. "I always tried to understand."

"Well, you didn't do a very good job of it!" The Master spat, anger blazing in his gaze. "Because I—"

"Boys!" The Woman stepped in between the two Time Lords, fixing them with her best steely glare. "I think we have more to worry about!"

The Master smirked at the Doctor. "Always leave it to your mom to separate us."

The Woman sighed and rolled her eyes. It was just like back on Gallifrey so very long ago.

Clara cocked her head. Mom?

At that point, the Master clutched his head, doubling over.

"What is it?" Clara asked.

"Can you hear them?" The Master asked. "They're coming!"

"Who?"

"The Time Lords! They found us! The signal's in my head! The drums got so much louder!"

"Oh no!" The Doctor shouted. "They're going to bring us to them using the link in the Master's head! Now we have no choice. We need to get to the TARDIS!" He grabbed Clara by the shoulders. "Come on!"

"But what about…" Clara looked back at the Master.

She saw the Master picking up the hand that the droids had cut off. He grinned at her. "Don't worry. I'll take my own. See you on Gallifrey."

At that point, Clara stumbled over something on the floor. She bent down and looked it over. It resembled a watch.

"Short range teleporter." She heard River say. "Keep it. You'll need it."

* * *

The Master ran into his TARDIS, starting it up. He ran his hands through his hair, making it stick up. Now that the Time Lords were calling them through the link in his head, they had no choice but to go.

He stared down at his hands, watching as the familiar yellow glow started to swirl around them. He had known this was coming, but he willed the energy back, determined not to let it happen yet.

* * *

"So, Clara. What is it with you and the Master?" River asked.

Clara was lying in a bed in the Doctor's TARDISes infirmary, letting River apply a cool cloth to the bruises on her neck.

"I don't know." She said. "Would I be crazy if I told you I think I fell in love with him?"

"No." She smiled. "I fell in love with a Time Lord, after all."

"But this is the Doctor's enemy. He said all these horrible things about him, but he's really not like that. The Doctor doesn't seem to understand that."

"Well, I think the Master changed his ways once he realized how much his race had changed as well."

"But try explaining that to the Doctor!"

River sat back. "I can if you want me to."

Clara looked up at her. "You would do that?"

"Sure."

The two embraced. "Thank you!"

"I'll see what I can do."


	14. Chapter 14

Later, Clara walked into the console room as the TARDIS landed. There, she found the Doctor, the Woman, and River, who had a hand on his shoulder.

He looked up as she entered. "How is your neck?"

"Better." She smiled slightly, but then it faded. "Doctor, what will happen out there?"

"I don't know." The Doctor said. "But, I guess I'm okay if you and the Master…" He gestured awkwardly as he tried to get his point across.

"Like each other?" River put in.

"Yes, thank you. Maybe he's not as bad as he used to be. Maybe… the impossible girl has done the impossible thing of making him love. But, if I hear anything about him laying a finger on you, then so help me, I will…"

Clara ran and hugged him. "Thank you Doctor."

The Woman sighed. "Young love. So beautiful, yet so tragic sometimes."

The Doctor straightened his jacket. "Well ladies…" He nodded toward the door. "Our death awaits us."

They stepped out of the TARDIS, and Clara was immediately lost in awe.

They were in a large, circular room, the ceiling of which arched hundreds of feet over their heads. The roof was made out of glass, and the burning orange sky was visible, casting fiery light down upon them The walls were carved with many Gallifreyan symbols, some so big they covered a hundred feet. The floor was made of a shiny, black, marble-like substance, which seemed to glow slightly in the orange light.

"Marvelous, isn't it?" The Woman murmured.

Looking ahead of her, Clara saw a group of people walking towards them. They all looked like humans, even though she knew better. There were all wearing brightly hued orange and red robes, with funny crested headdresses and red caps. The one in the middle, however, wore no headdress and his robes had a darker hue, the edges of which were lined with gold. On his left hand he had a giant metal glove thing, which Clara decided didn't look very nice. He looked considerably older than the other Time Lords, and his hair was grey.

"So Doctor," The older Time Lord said. "We meet again for the last time, I hope."

"Rassilon." The Doctor greeted simply.

At that moment, the Master's TARDIS materialized next to the Doctor's. The Time Lord stepped out somewhat stiffly.

"Are you okay?" Clara whispered.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, though his voice sounded slightly strained.

Clara knew he was lying, though she didn't question the matter further due to the situation they were currently in.

"…you are to be tried for your crimes by the High Council and executed." The apparently Head Time Lord was saying coldly.

The Master cocked his head. "Really? Because it didn't go like that the last few hundred times."

"Shut up!" The Doctor hissed at him. "Don't make it worse than it already is!"

The Time Lord turned to the Master. "You never did learn how to respect your elders, did you?"

"Why should I respect you?" The Master stared at him coldly. "You may bear the title of Lord President, but that's not what you are. Sure, I may have done some bad things in the past, but you have killed Time Lords for much less. You would kill the Woman simply for opposing your plans to destroy earth!" He gestured at her. "All she wanted to do was save six billion humans!"

"These are the last days of the Time War." The Lord President said. "All morals are forgotten now. Any who threaten the survival of the Time Lords must die!"

"What about them?" The Doctor gestured to Clara and River. "They are not children of Gallifrey."

The Lord President shook his head. "I don't know what it is with you and those little beings from earth. You always drag them into the worst situations."

"That's right. I got them into this. They are not to blame for any crime that may have been committed against you."

"Now hold on just a second!" River took a step forward, but the Doctor stopped her.

"Do you want to die to?" The Doctor muttered.

She smiled. "Who says we're going to die here?"

The Lord President gestured to them with his metal hand. "Take them to the council room."

Five Time Lords stepped forward and grabbed them roughly, leading them off through one of the doorways.

It seemed that as the farther they progressed, the more amazing the rooms got. The first room they walked through was a grand hallway. One side of the room was entirely made of glass, looking out on Gallifrey. There were golden buildings, shining in the light of the blazing sky. Beyond that were fields of red grass and snow capped mountains. The only thing that seemed out of place was a whole bunch of buildings on fire. It looked like they had been smashed.

"Master." She leaned close to him. "Why are those buildings on fire?"

"The Time War." He said. "It's not as bad here as it is some other places."

They passed through another room with six giant statues around the outside. This room was rather dark compared to those they had seen previously. Clara tensed her muscles as they walked through it. She didn't like statues anymore.

Finally, they entered another large room. The ceiling arched high overhead, and tapestries embroidered with Gallifreyan hung down from it. The room was like a long hallway, and at the end there resembled something like a throne. The hall was lined with Time Lords on both sides, all of them wearing the same headdresses and robes. Clara looked at their faces, searching for any emotion. They remained impassive, though she thought she saw a hint of pity in their eyes.

The Time Lords shoved them roughly to their knees as the Lord President walked up to the throne and sat down in it, calling out: "Today, we put on trial the Doctor, the Master, and the Woman for the crimes they have committed!"

Clamor broke out through the room as the Time Lords called out various things.

The Lord President slammed his metal hand down on the arm of the chair, causing a loud bang to echo through the hall. "Silence!"

Immediately, the hall fell silent.

"Firstly, the Master, amongst the many other crimes he has committed, stands accused of escaping Gallifrey while imprisoned and causing a temporal paradox."

"Oh, blah blah blah." The Master muttered, but fell silent as he received a kick from the Time Lord next to him.

"Paradox?" Clara whispered, looking around. River caught her eye, and she winked. It took Clara a moment, but then she realized. Melody. River Song. Time and space. Time Lord. She had met River in the past when she was a child, while she had known her in the future? She dismissed those thoughts. It was too confusing to think about.

"...he also stands guilty of attempting to kill me and several other Time Lords at the Panopticon."

"That's because you ruined my life!" Clara jumped at the Master's angry yell. "You put these drums in my head, and it drove me insane! I don't care if it was to bring back Gallifrey! It was maddening!"

The Lord President did not say anything more to the Master and addressed the Doctor. "You are accused of freeing the Master, and destroying the link that would bring Gallifrey back. You have opposed your own people, Doctor."

"No, you have. You rule over them by making them fear you! That's not how it's supposed to be!" The Doctor retorted.

"Then you try living through the Time War!" The President snapped. "Over and over, they die! Every day, they find new ways to die!" He turned to the Woman. "And you stand accused of opposing the Time Lords and escaping execution."

"That's right." The Doctor's tone was dangerously low. "You wanted to execute her, my mother, which means you're dealing with me now."

Clara watched as tempers ran high. The Master and the Doctor were both mad at the President. The President was mad at them. The Woman looked scared, and River was impassive. As for her, she felt terrified. All she had known over the past few days was that the Doctor had dropped another Time Lord off at her house, the Time Lord had taken her off on many adventures, and then he had been taken over by an evil Cyber Planner. Meanwhile, the Doctor had been looking for her all the while with angry Time Lords chasing them. And now, they were sitting in the middle of a trial, where her best friend's lives were on the line, and possibly even hers, depending on how this all played out.

"I propose we execute the Time Lords and send the humans back to earth where they belong."

Clara's head whipped up at the words.

Murmuring broke out among the assembled Time Lords. A lot of them looked angry at them. The pity was gone. Clara gulped. What kind of war was enough to turn people against one of their own? To her horror, she saw that almost every hand was raised in favor of their death.

The President gestured with his hand. "Take them to the cells, for now."

The Master sighed as he was dragged to his feet, as if this verdict was nothing new to him.

"You don't know what you're doing, Rassilon!" The Doctor yelled.

Rassilon smiled coldly as they were herded away. "This time, I do."

* * *

Clara grunted as she was practically thrown to the cold, hard floor.

"Oi!" She heard the Master yell. "Careful with that one!"

Clara stood up, brushing herself off as the door to her cell slammed shut with a bang. She looked around. They were each in an individual cell, made out of iron bars. It looked almost exactly like a prison would on earth. There were cells going down each side of the room, with an aisle in the middle separating them. There were no windows to be seen, and the room was dimly lit with light bulbs on the ceiling.

Clara knocked on the walls. They seemed to be made out of stone. "I guess we're not getting out of here anytime soon."

"No." She heard the Master say. "Not unless another Time Lord swoops in and saves us." He stared at the Doctor.

"Probably not." The Doctor said.

River was on the left of Clara, and the Doctor was on her right. The Master was directly across from her, and the Woman was to the right of the Doctor.

The Doctor fumbled in his pockets. "They took my sonic!"

"No kidding." The Master scoffed.

"Well what do we do?" The Woman asked quietly.

"Don't worry." The Doctor said. "I freed you once, and I can do it again. I just need to…"

The Master sat down on the floor of his cell. "I'll probably be the first one to go. I haven't got long." He shared a knowing look with the Doctor that Clara missed.

She clutched the bars, staring at him. "Don't say that!"

He smiled at her in that familiar, confident, arrogant way. "Don't worry about me. I'll be alright."

They waited for what seemed like hours. The only sound was the Doctor mumbling as he ran possibilities through his head. It was so quiet that they all jumped when the door slammed open, and Time Lords walked in.

One pointed at the Master. "Take him."

Clara ran forward, staring through the bars. "Please don't kill him!" She blinked, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to come forth.

"It'll be fine, Clara." She heard River mutter. "Just trust me."

"How?" She yelled, turning on her. "He's going to die!"

"No he won't!"

Ignoring her, Clara turned back to face the Master. The Time Lords had just taken him out of his cell and were beginning to drag him away.

"Please don't go." She said weakly.

He turned back to look at her. He looked sad. She had never seen him look like that before. Then, he opened his mouth and said three words that shattered her heart into a million pieces.

"I love you."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: This chapter is sort of a song. xD I used excerpts from the Disney movie Pocohantas's Savages, for those familiar with Disney movies. When thinking up this fic, I thought this song would be perfect for a scenario like this. So many page-breaks too.**

* * *

Clara lay on the floor in the middle of her cell, sobbing her heart out. She felt like she wanted to die. The only man who had ever admitted loving her had just been led to his death, and the bad thing was that she loved him back.

"Clara, listen to me!" She faintly heard River calling to her through her grief. "Do you still have the teleporter I told you to keep?"

"What good would that do?" She hiccupped.

"You can use it to get out, silly girl!" She heard River say. "Do you have it?"

"I think so." She got to her knees, searching her pockets, finally pulling out the small watch device. "The Time Lords didn't take it from me."

"Then use it!" River urged. "Get out of here and go save the Master!"

"But what about you?"

"You don't have time!" The Doctor said. "They do their executions quick. Go get him, but remember to come back and get us once you do!"

Clara pressed a button on the teleporter, and instantly found herself in the aisle in between the cells. She looked at the Doctor. "Where do I go?"

"It's quite far from here, so it should give you some time. Just look for a place where the most Time Lords are assembled. That's where it should be. Now, run you clever girl!"

She actually smiled, wiping the tears off her face. "Thank you." She ran to the door, opening without any hassle. She looked back at them. "I'll be back." Then, she bolted out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

* * *

The Master didn't know what to do. He was currently being dragged along by the Time Lords toward his death, and he was rapidly growing weaker as he tried to keep the energy that was threatening to escape at bay.

He had told Clara he loved her. Why? He didn't know. Maybe because he really did love her. He was going to die anyway, so it didn't matter. He just wanted her to know before he never saw her again. Though, he didn't know how she felt back. She had just stared after him as he was dragged away, and he didn't know what had happened after that. She probably didn't favor him. And he had admitted that right in front of the Doctor. That made him feel great.

He sighed. He didn't want to go.

* * *

Rassilon breathed deeply, calming himself. "This will be the morning." He turned to face the adjourned crowd of Time Lords. "Bring out the prisoner!"

_We will see them dying in the dust…_

* * *

Clara ran down the never ending hallways. They all looked the same! She was surprised that she hadn't been caught yet. Her footsteps echoed terribly in the empty hallways, but she figured that everyone had gone to the execution, just like in medieval earth days.

Earth days. She had to constantly keep reminding herself that she wasn't on earth.

She ran a little faster. She didn't know how much time she had left, but she figured that there wasn't much.

_I don't know what I can do. Still, I know I've got to try._

* * *

"Doctor, why do you always put your friends through so much?" The Woman fussed.

"Whatever do you mean?" The Doctor said.

"Did you not see the girl? She was heartbroken! If I ever get out of here, I'm going to smack some sense into you!"

"Please do." River muttered.

"River, no, it hurts!" The Doctor whined. "Don't make her do it! And mom, it's the curse of being a Time Lord. They go through a lot when they're with me."

"But it always turns out fine, right?"

"No, not always. Some leave, some get left behind." He paused. "Some… die." He straightened his shoulders. "But not Clara. Not the Impossible Girl."

* * *

Rassilon watched in triumph as the Master was brought in. At last, he would gain revenge on the one that ruined his plans for stopping the Time War.

_Now we make him pay…_

* * *

Clara finally ran into someone.

She had rounded a corner, and had nearly slammed into someone. She backed up quickly, staring at him.

It was a somewhat older man, with grey-silver hair and piercing blue eyes. He had a lanky frame, but he was incredibly tall. Everything he was wearing was black, except for the cardigan he was wearing which had a sharply contrasting red interior.

He frowned down at her. "Clara? How did you change clothes?" His voice carried a thick Scottish accent.

"Huh?" She backed up a little more. How did this man know her name?

"Oh…" He looked around, sucking air in through his teeth sharply. "Wong timestream…" Then he looked back at her, smiling. "Go that way." He pointed down the hall he had previously come from. "You'll find the Master somewhere down there."

"Who are you?" Clara asked.

"You'll see me soon." With that, he walked down the hall past her. When she turned to look after him, he was gone. She wasn't sure if she should trust that man, but it was her best bet.

_Please don't let it be too late…_

* * *

Rassilon watched as the Master's arms were tied above his head. "Any last words, Lord Koschei?"

He stared at the President coldly. "I pity you." With that, he closed his eyes, placing Clara in his mind. He wanted her to be the last thing he thought about.

_First we deal with this one…_

* * *

Sure enough, Clara began to hear the voices of many Time Lords. The man had been right! Maybe she wasn't too late. She sped up faster.

_How loud are the drums of war?_

* * *

The Master tensed up as Rassilon stretched forth his metal hand. It was quite a painful way to go. He knew from seeing other executions. Rassilon's hand began to glow blue.

* * *

Clara began pushing through the time Lords. She could see the Master up ahead, about to be killed. Some tried to stop her, but she was so determined, that nothing could stop her from reaching him.

_Is the death of all I love_

_Carried in the drumming of war?_

"STOP!"

Rassilon drew back his hand just in time.

The Master opened his eyes to see Clara standing in front of him, arms outspread. "Clara… no." He said weakly.

A murmur rippled through the Time Lords at this sudden interruption.

Rassilon started to look angry. "Move out of the way, human!"

"He'll… kill you too." The Master said.

Clara looked back at him, mischief glinting in her brown eyes, before turning back to face Rassilon. "He doesn't deserve to die!"

"You are not aware of the crimes he has committed!" Rassilon argued.

"I am too!" Clara said. "You made him that way! Things probably would have been way different if you hadn't put the drums in his head! You're killing him for crimes you are responsible for! Now that hardly seems fair."

Rassilon pointed his hand at her. "Then I'll have to kill you too."

"Clara, no!" The Master shouted.

"Not today, boys!" She grabbed the Master's arm and pressed the button on the teleporter.

They found themselves in a hallway somewhere, hopefully far away from the Time Lords. The Master nearly fell on top of Clara due to the position he had previously been suspended in.

He looked around. "How…?"

Clara held up the device. "Short-range teleporter."

"Oh, you brilliant girl!" He grabbed her and kissed her forehead.

"Ha! So it was you!" Clara said.

"What was me?"

"You were the one that kissed me! Not the Cyber Planner!"

He shrugged. "I suppose."

"Did you mean it?" She asked in a small voice.

"Did I mean what?"

"You… you said you loved me… right before you left. Did you mean that? Or…"

"Of course I meant it." He said quietly, caressing her face. "I thought I'd never see you again."

For a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her. Clara opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off as the Master doubled over in pain. "Master, are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah." He breathed. "I think they just kicked me one too many times, that's all." For a moment he was afraid that she wasn't convinced, but she soon consented. In reality, the energy was threatening to burst forth at any moment, and he couldn't let that happen. Not yet.

She looked over her shoulder as she heard shouting. "They're coming! Where's the prison? We need to go back and get the others!"

He gestured back over his shoulder. "That way. Come on!" As they started running, the Master happened to glance back over his shoulder. He thought he saw a man with silver hair peering around the corner at them, but when he looked back again, he was gone.

* * *

**NO KISS YET! HA.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Two chapters in one day? What is this madness? :O**

* * *

The Doctor looked up as the door banged open. He smiled as the Master and Clara walked in. "You did it!"

"She did." The Master smiled crookedly.

"Now how do we get you out of there?" Clara asked. "There are Time Lords on our tail."

"The locks are sonically opened." The Doctor gritted. "And they took my sonic screwdriver!"

"I think I might have the solution." The Master pulled a sonic screwdriver from his pocket.

"Where did you get that?" The Doctor asked.

"A man with silver hair slipped it to me during the mayhem."

"Yeah, and I ran into a silver haired man in the hallway." Clara said. "He told me where to go to rescue the Master. It was strange."

The Doctor tapped the bars. "Well, we can talk about it later. Now, can you get us out?"

The Master held the sonic out to the lock and pressed the button. There was an audible click, and the door opened. He repeated the action for the other doors.

Once they were all free, the Doctor held out his hand. "I'll take that."

"Fine." The Master grumbled, acting like a child who didn't want to share his favorite toy.

"Can we just summon the TARDIS from here?" Clara asked.

"No." The Doctor said. "They probably locked them. But, I have a key to mine."

They burst out the door just as the Time Lords rounded the corner towards the prison. "There they are! Get them!"

"This way!" The Doctor shouted, pointing off in the opposite direction. They started running as fast as they could. The Doctor grabbed on to the Woman's hand, practically dragging her along as they went, since she was slower in her old age.

They ran up a curved flight of stairs. As they did, a shot rang out and something ricocheted off the wall far too close to River's head for comfort.

"What was that?" Clara shouted as she tried to duck and run at the same time.

"Staser guns!" The Master panted.

"Do they hurt?

"It's enough to kill a Time Lord!"

"Thanks a lot!"

"You asked!"

The Doctor took several twists and turns, and before they knew it, there was no sign of the Time Lords pursuing them. He slowed and came to a stop in a large wide open room.

"So where are we now?" River asked as she tried to catch her breath.

"Ah…" The Doctor turned in a full circle, looking at his surroundings. "I haven't the faintest notion."

River sighed in exasperation.

"Well, now you've gone and got us lost!" The Master turned on the Doctor angrily. "Nice leading skills, Doctor! We've cheated death too many times today to die by getting lost and then getting stasered!"

"Well give me a break! It's been a while, okay?"

"Keep your voices down!" The Woman shushed, looking around the room at the high arches. "The sounds we make echo in here."

"Do you know where we are?" Clara asked.

The Woman bit her lip. "I'm afraid not. The Capital is so vast that it is incredibly hard to keep track of where things are."

The Master turned in a full circle. "Great. So we're stuck."

_Come with me._

The group froze as the voice echoed around the room.

The Doctor took out his sonic. "Who's there?"

_Just come with me quickly, before they find you_. The voice originated from a dark hallway, where no light was visible. Clara vaguely remembered the voice from somewhere, but she couldn't pinpoint where from.

River looked at the Doctor. "Should we?"

The Doctor put his screwdriver back in his pocket. "How else are we getting out of here?"

The group advanced into the dark corridor. A lanky figure was barely visible ahead of them, though it was too dark to make out any features.

"Who are you?" The Doctor asked.

"Just be quiet. They could hear you." The voice said quietly from ahead.

They stayed in the dark for what seemed like hours, following the mysterious specter only by the sound of his footsteps and occasional quiet direction.

Clara was beginning to feel slightly panicky. She had never liked the dark, and they had been shrouded in blackness for a long time now. She reached out, feeling blindly for the Master. Coming in contact with his arm, she latched on to it, holding it tightly.

At last, a pinpoint of light was seen in the distance.

"Go straight." The voice said, and just like that, the figure was gone.

They continued walking until the light was clearly visible. Stepping forward, they found themselves in the room they had started out in, with the two TARDISes sitting in the middle where they had previously been.

"Amazing." River said, walking forward. "Who was that?"

"I don't know." The Doctor muttered.

"I hear them!"

They started at the yell.

"They know where we are!" The Doctor gestured. "Get to the TARDIS!"

The Master ran to his own. "Just a second!"

"You're not taking your own?" The Doctor yelled.

"No! Stole it in the first place! I need to get something!" He vanished inside.

"Wha…" The Doctor spread his hands wide in outraged confusion. "Just... get in the TARDIS! I'll wait for him."

Clara ducked inside just in time to see the Time Lords charging towards them from all directions. They looked angry.

The Doctor hung out the door, yelling: "Hurry it up! We don't have all day!"

The Master dodged inside just as the Time Lords seemed to be upon them. The Doctor slammed the door, flinching at the banging on it. "Well, let's get going." He flipped a switch and the TARDIS started leaving. He looked at the Master. "I guess you're stuck with us now."

"I suppose I won't mind it terribly now." He glanced at Clara with a smirk.

She looked him over. She didn't know what he had gone back for. He wasn't holding anything different, but who knows what he could be hiding in those large pockets of his.

The Doctor clapped his hands. "I almost forgot!" He opened one door and hung out into space.

"What are you doing?" River shouted.

He pulled back inside, grinning widely. "Shutting the crack. Hopefully that lot won't be coming back for a while."

* * *

Later, Clara went looking for the Master. Surprisingly, she found him in the library out of all places.

She entered silently, seeing the back of the Master's head poking over the top of a couch. She snuck up behind him, preparing to scare him.

"You silly girl." He rumbled.

She deflated. "Oh."

He twisted his head around. "Join me."

She sighed and stalked around the edge of the couch, flopping down beside him. "You're no fun." She pouted.

"Aren't I?" He rummaged around in his pockets. "I got this for you." He held out something to Clara.

She took it. She was looking at the copy of Pride and Prejudice that she had started when he had first taken her. It seemed so very long ago. "Is this what you went back in for?"

"One of the things."

"It's not really that important."

"Well you were reading it, so I figured you wouldn't want to lose your spot."

Clara looked down to his lap. "What are you reading?"

He picked the book up, looking it over. "The Book of Saxon. I was once the Prime Minister of England, you know. Harold Saxon. Handsome and dashing as you well may know."

Clara snorted.

"…But it was a year that never happened."

They remained silent for a while, the Master tapping the beat of the drums on her shoulder. Then he asked: "Clara, what would you think of me if I changed, you know, in appearance and personality?"

"I would be terrified." Clara murmured. "I think I like you just the way you are."

"Well that's good." He said, staring at his hand.

"Why?"

"No reason." He couldn't contain it much longer. He had been holding it off for nearly a day.

They sat there in blissful silence for a long time. Clara had begun to doze on his shoulder when he suddenly jerked violently.

She sat up. "What's the matter?"

He writhed in pain. "Get me… to the… console room!"

* * *

"Doctor! Doctor!"

The Time Lord looked up from the controls as he heard his name being called.

Clara came into the room, the Master's arm slung over her shoulder as she practically dragged him. "What's happening to him?"

The Woman stood up. "What…?"

The Master fell against the console. "I can't… stop it." His hands were beginning to glow with a golden light.

Clara turned to the Doctor. "What's going on?"

"He's regenerating." He muttered.

"What's that?"

"When a Time Lord is mortally wounded, or dying, their body will change, form if you will, into a whole new person with a whole new personality."

"No." She stared at the Master. "Is that what you meant when…?"

"I'm… sorry."

"But nothing happened!" She protested. "He didn't get hurt on Gallifrey!"

He smiled crookedly. "The Cyber Planner was stronger than I had anticipated. I used up a bit too much of my life force."

"He's been holding it off for a while." The Doctor said. "Impressive."

River took Clara by the shoulders. "You probably should come away now…"

Clara shook her off. "No." She stepped toward the Master. "I'll never see… you… again?"

"Maybe." The Master said, his voice becoming strained as the glow became more pronounced around him.

"But you almost died today." Clara said, her voice shaking. "You can't leave me now!"

"I won't. I'll be there."

She took his face in her hands, realizing that she had never responded.

"I love you too."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** **Listen to this while reading this chapter:** /watch?v=DpjUS0GD75Q&list=LLW6B97cNSQiksGGeQ4PNPQA&index=7

**:D**

* * *

They stared at each other in silence.

Clara was vaguely aware of River pulling her away from him. He took two steps forward stiffly, the glow becoming harsh by now, growling in pain.

"I will always… love you… no matter who I am."

Clara sobbed as the glow completely engulfed him, not noticing as something fell from his pocket on to the floor. She held on to River as she tightly hugged her. She was terrified. Who knows who he would come out as.

The Master yelled and the glow exploded violently from him. Clara shielded herself from the light, her eyes raw from crying. She had ultimately failed to save him from death. This man, the one that she loved, was dying, and a new one would soon take his place.

Slowly, the Master moved his hands so that they were pointing forwards, and the glow started sucking from something on the floor.

"No." The Woman muttered.

"Oh, you stupid, brilliant man!" The Doctor shouted, running his hands through his hair.

"What?" Clara sniffed, staring at the regenerating Time Lord. She wasn't sure what the others were so shocked about.

The Doctor clapped his hands and laughed in delight.

The Master gave a strangled cry, and the glow subsided from him. He slumped against the console with a groan.

"Oh, I knew it!" The Doctor cried in glee, dancing in a circle.

Clara stared at the Master in shock.

He looked exactly the same as before.

The Time Lord stood up fully, squaring his shoulders, running his hands over his face. He smiled, letting out a laugh. "Ha! I knew it would work!"

"But… how?" Clara asked, breaking away from River's arms and stepping forward.

He bent down, picking up the object on the floor. It was the hand that the clockwork droids had cut off.

"If a Time Lord has a bio-matching somewhere around during a regeneration, they can use it to siphon off extra energy that would change the personality and appearance, and basically keep their old self, only healed. In this case, the Master had his hand." The Doctor explained.

"Ah, I knew it would work!" The Master grinned, twirling in a circle. "I think I'll keep this thing, because you can't get much better than this!"

"You mean. You knew you weren't going to change the entire time?" Clara yelled, starting to feel anger bubble up inside of her. She felt a number of things: relief, love, and now more prominently, anger and annoyance at his actions. "Who FORGETS that?"

The Doctor took River and the Woman gently by the shoulders, escorting them out of the room. "This is not going to be pretty."

"Well, I didn't know for sure that it was going to work, but there was a pretty good chance that it would!" The Master argued.

Clara walked to him and slapped him across the face.

"Stop it!" He yelled. "You're going to give me a concussion!"

"That was for not telling me!" She declared angrily. "Who does that? You stupid, horrible Time Lord! You put me through so mu—"

Suddenly, she found herself at a loss for words as he kissed her. She was shocked at first, not sure of what to do, but she slowly found herself kissing back. Her legs turned weak, so much so that the Master had to wrap his arms around her waist to keep her steady.

He broke away, grinning. "That is the best way to start a new regeneration."

Clara jutted out her chin, trying to hide her blush. "I'm still mad at you."

"No, you're not." He wiped away the last of her tears with his thumb. "You can't stay mad at me."

She leaned against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "Don't scare me like that again."

"Now you know I can't guarantee that." He kissed the top of her head gently. "But I'll do my best."

"And keep that hand. I think I'll keep you just the way you are. But, put it in a jar or something. It's a bit disturbing."

"Why do you like this face so much?"

"Because… you're you."

"Because I'm handsome, and smart, and funny, and…"

"…full of himself!" Clara finished.

"No, I wouldn't say that."

"Shut up."

* * *

The Doctor looked up as the door opened. They had gone to a sitting room to wait.

"Well," The Doctor smiled. "You're alive."

"She slaps hard." The Master said ruefully.

"Well what do you boys expect?" River asked. "You put us girls through a lot, so you deserve a good slap once and a while."

"There's no such thing as a good slap." He tossed the Doctor his hand. "Keep that."

The Doctor fumbled with the appendage, holding it at arms length. "O… kay. I can put it away later."

The Woman sighed. "I see throwing hands around hasn't changed."

"Mom!"

* * *

**One more chapter to go!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Ms Estella Black: This is after the Name of the Doctor, but I figured Clara wouldn't know anything about regeneration because she doesn't typically remember her past lives.**

* * *

"Want to go for a walk, Clara?" River asked.

"Sure."

The Doctor had brought them to Central Park, after convincing the Master and Clara that the angels had fallen into the crack. The two Time Lords leaned on the rail, looking out over the river, while discussing brain-bending time and space things. Things weren't as tense between them anymore.

The Master had cleaned up considerably. He had dressed in a sharp shirt and pants, combing his hair back thoroughly. It had been considerably matted beforehand.

"What about you?" River asked the Woman, who was seated at the table.

She looked up from the Jane Austen novel she was reading. "Hm? Oh, no thank you dear. I find the literature of this planet quite enthralling. Besides, I don't think these old bones could take much more after today."

"Suit yourself." She and Clara started walking up the path. It was a wonderful afternoon. The sun shone, the wind blew softly, and the temperature was just right.

"Manhattan was the first place he took me." Clara said.

"It was." River said. "I was there, remember?"

Clara chuckled. "Oh, yes. I still can't believe that was you."

"I've regenerated since then, mind you. But I was there."

"So, you've already seen the future, and what will happen?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"So that's how you knew we were going to get away from Gallifrey alive, and that's how you knew to tell me to take the teleporter with me?"

"Yes."

"Tell me something that happens in the future!" Clara said excitedly.

River shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't. Time can be rewritten, and it's dangerous to tell somebody something about the future, for it can be changed. Because let me tell you…" She leaned in closer. "It's good."

"Aw…" Clara fell silent for a moment, then said: "Time Lords are strange, aren't they? They forget to tell us mutually important things, such as not changing during regeneration!"

River laughed. "They certainly put us girls through a lot, but they make up for it by whizzing you off into the most wonderful places!

"The Doctor is so different from the Master, it was hard to believe they were ever friends."

"I got the awkward, quirky Time Lord, and you got the arrogant, flirty one."

"Well, if you've seen the future, then at least tell me this. You're married to the Doctor, right?"

"Right."

She breathed deeply. "Does the Master ever get married?"

River paused. "…I guess it would be safe to say that… yes, he does."

"Who to?" Clara asked, intrigued.

"Spoilers."

She stopped in the middle of the road, staring after the woman. Then she ran to catch up with her. "Hold on a sec! You wouldn't say that unless it was somebody I knew, wouldn't you?"

"Probably."

"Well who is it?"

River sighed. She was having an internal war with herself. On one hand, it was a bad idea to tell her. But, on the other, it was too good to keep away from her. "Fine, I'll tell you, but you must promise that you won't tell him, got it?"

She nodded. "Got it."

"It's you."

Clara pointed to herself, her eyes widening. "He marries me?"

"Yes."

It took a moment for it to sink in, then she squealed, and they embraced.

"I don't believe it!" Clara exclaimed, pulling back.

"Technically, you would be marrying a madman, but he's not that bad, really."

"When?"

"Now that, I can't say. I've already said too much."

* * *

"Here they come." The Doctor said, watching the two figures approaching.

The first thing that Clara did was run up to the Master and hug him.

"Woah." He said, hugging back. "Not that I don't appreciate it or anything, but why the hugs all of a sudden?"

Clara smiled. "No reason."

River sat down across the table from the Woman.

The Time Lady looked up from her novel, glancing from the happy Clara back to River. "You told her something about the future, didn't you?"

"I may have let a few details slip."

She sighed, laying her book on the table. "That's going to get you in a lot of trouble one day."

"I know. Would you like to know what I told her?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yes I'm sure! Older and wiser, you know."

* * *

Clara laid her head on the Master's shoulder. The Doctor had gone to get food, and River and the Woman were behind them, talking. She and the Master stood at the railing, looking out over the river silently, enjoying each other's company.

She reflected on what the past few days had done. The Master was no longer mad at the Doctor, or at least, not as much. The Doctor had been reunited with his wife and mother for the first time in a long while, and now, she was standing with her future husband. She really wanted to tell him, but didn't dare. She didn't want to ruin what was to come. The only downside to it all was that all the Time Lords were still trapped in the time lock. She had never figured out who the mysterious Time Lord who had helped them was. She figured that one day she would know.

Sighing, she snuggled closer to the Master as she felt his lips brush over her head. He gently rapped out the beat of the drums as he wrapped an arm around her middle. Clara smiled, feeling happy because everyone else was happy.

A lot could come of a few hours.

_FIN_

* * *

**_Thank you all for your awesome support! There will be a sequel, not sure when though. :P_**


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